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AbstractWe examine how returns to education have evolved in the context of post‐conflict reconstruction and economic growth in Mozambique over the period 1996–2015. We show that private rates of return to education have declined at lower levels of schooling, but remained stable and possibly even increased at the highest levels. Returns are increasingly convex in non‐agricultural jobs but almost flat in agriculture. Using consumption expenditure data, as opposed to income data, allows estimation of returns for the entire labour market, not just the minority in formal sector jobs. Results are robust to a wide range of specifications, including use of a pseudo‐panel.

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-021-00419-8

Using linked employer-worker panel data from Myanmar, we estimate wage returns to workplace training. First, we document a low prevalence of training in manufacturing enterprises. Second, we find the wage premium associated with training of about 7%, which is in the range found in other South-East Asian countries. Third, we show that workplace training is offered selectively to workers and when this is the case, the wage gap between trained and untrained workers doubles. Fourth, we find that previous training does not contribute to higher present wage, which indicates low transferability of workplace training in Myanmar. While this setup may benefit employers, workers get short-lived benefits from training, which do not carry throughout the working life. Fifth, we find a convex profile of the returns to training with respect to education and that specific industries such as food, apparel and printing lend themselves more to the benefits from training. Considering the wage return as a lower bound of productivity gains from training, our results suggest that government support of workplace training programs could help increase performance of the manufacturing sector in Myanmar.

Since the initiation of the Doi Moi reforms in 1986, it is widely believed that Vietnam's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have critical characteristics that contribute to the country's impressive economic and social development over recent decades. Specifically, SMEs represent a source of economic growth, savings, job creation, and increased competition. Despite their vast potential, general knowledge on their characteristics as well as the opportunities and constraints they were facing was lacking, thus making it difficult for evidence-based government policy recommendations to be formulated. This chapter sheds light on the Vietnam SME database covering surveys over 2005–15, and represents the basis for the analytical work in books chapters. The authors outline the purpose behind the data collection—including sample design, firm and owner characteristics, attrition—comparing the data with the characteristics of Vietnam's overall enterprise population.

The purpose of this report is to give a nuanced picture of the SME business environment in Myanmar as a complement to the 2017 MSME quantitative survey conducted within the project 'Towards Inclusive Development in Myanmar'. This project is a collaboration between the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) of the Ministry of Planning and Finance of Myanmar, the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), and the University of Copenhagen, supported financially by Denmark. We build on quantitative results and explore in more detail a set of selected topics, as well as specific industries relevant for policy focus. We also identify areas in which our quantitative data leave room for improvement in explaining reality and specify guidelines for future modifications of the MSME survey questionnaire, as well as points of attention in future analysis of quantitative data. The analysis uses qualitative data and responses from 108 in-depth interviews with enterprise owners, managers, employees, and officers from relevant government institutions. We conducted the interviews over the course of six weeks during the period from March to October 2018 in 15 townships from nine regions and states in Myanmar. The respondents were chosen from the quantitative survey data using a combination of purposeful and random sampling aiming to maximize the breadth and relevance of information. The interview team comprised both Myanmar and English language speakers, so the interviews were carried out with interpretation in both languages. We focus on three topics. First, we provide a qualitative in-depth analysis of informality, putting forth the challenges SMEs face when interacting with different government institutions. Second, we analyse the gender wage gap, particularly focusing on occupational segregation. Third, we describe the wood sector and its particularities.

Myanmar's transition to a market-based economy is accompanied by rapid development of the private manufacturing sector, which has large potential for improving economic growth. The overall success of the sector, however, should not be taken for granted. Future advances will greatly depend on the policy and business environment in which manufacturing activities take place. It is, therefore, important to better understand the business environment and help inform policies conducive to sustainable economic growth. The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) of the Ministry of Planning and Finance of Myanmar, the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), and the University of Copenhagen, supported financially by the Government of Denmark, have initiated the project 'Towards Inclusive Development in Myanmar'. The project aims to strengthen evidence-based policy-making and analysis through a rigorous 'Myanmar Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Survey' of private manufacturing enterprises. The survey is the first nationally representative survey focusing exclusively on manufacturing enterprises and their employees. The data were collected in 35 townships in all regions and states of the country in 2017. The sample comprises 2,496 enterprises and 6,722 employees and is statistically representative of more than 71,000 manufacturing firms in Myanmar. The resulting matched employer–employee dataset is unique in its ability to provide estimates of individual-level outcomes, alongside company averages and results for both informal and formal businesses. The breadth of information is unprecedented, and it will allow analysts to study enterprise performance and the business environment in Myanmar in depth, including dimensions such as: regulatory framework (e.g. formalization), firm performance, labour force, technology and management characteristics, innovation, investment, sales, access to finance, and perceptions about the constraints and potentials of the business environment.