Income and Wages

This report seeks to provide clarity on the topic of minimum wage legislation by contextualizing the debate and detailing sector-specific empirical evidence of minimum wage legislation's impact in South Africa given the country's unique historical, social and economic context.

What role did a rising minimum wage play in reducing wage inequality in Brazil in the first decade of the 21st century? Is it reasonable to expect that the policy of tying minimum wage to economic growth will continue to act as a key driver of inequality reduction in the near future?

All the world's successful industrial policies "those that have delivered the best wages, working conditions and opportunities for economic mobility" have made diversification a central aim. Countries like Bangladesh must do the same.

Declining wages and persistent poverty for garment workers in a majority of the world's leading apparel-exporting countries raises doubt that export-led development strategies create a rising tide that lifts all boats.