Alumni

Dr. Paula Nagler

Thesis:
Occupational Choice in the Developing World

Year: 2015

Promotor(s):
Pierre Mohnen, Wim Naude & Milan Vodopivec

Abstract:
The thesis studies two topics: rural entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the introduction of a new unemployment insurance scheme in Chile – within the context of occupational choices under restricted conditions. In the first part, the patterns of rural entrepreneurship in six African countries are outlined, before analyzing the decision to operate an enterprise and its subsequent productivity. The thesis finds that entrepreneurship is ubiquitous in rural Africa, and that households operate businesses due to both pull and push factors. The results also show that the initial motivation to operate an enterprise affects its subsequent labor productivity. In the second part, the outcomes of a new policy introduction in Chile are examined: if a new unemployment protection scheme had an effect on employment duration, as well as on subsequent employment quality (measured by wage and contract type). The thesis finds that workers have shorter employment durations if affiliated to the new scheme, but that the effect on subsequent employment quality is limited: while contract types are not affected, wage growth is negatively affected, but the difference very small. Key words: occupational choice, entrepreneurship in rural Africa, unemployment protection, Chile, labor markets

Selected publications by Paula Nagler


Articles (journal, professional, popular)
Nagler, Paula & Wim Naudé, 2017, `Non-farm entrepreneurship in rural sub-Saharan Africa, Food Policy, 67, More information
Naudé, Wim & Paula Nagler, 2015, `Inclusive Industrialisation and Innovation, Development, 58
Nagler, Paula, 2013, `How Unemployment Insurance Savings Accounts Affect Employment Duration: Evidence from Chile, IZA Journal of Labor & Development, 2, More information


Book chapters
Nagler, Paula & Wim Naudé, 2018, Nonfarm Enterprises in Rural Africa, in: Christiaensen, L. and Demery, L. eds, Agriculture in Africa: Telling Myths from Facts, The World Bank, Washington DC


UNU-MERIT Working Papers
Nagler, Paula, 2017, A profile of non-farm household enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2017-048
Naudé, Wim & Paula Nagler, 2015, Industrialisation, Innovation, Inclusion, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2015-043
Nagler, Paula, 2015, The impact of unemployment insurance savings accounts on subsequent employment quality, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2015-026
Nagler, Paula, 2013, How unemployment insurance savings accounts affect employment duration: Evidence from Chile, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2013-039


External working papers
Naudé, Wim & Paula Nagler, 2018, Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Productivity in Germany, 1871-2015, SPRU Working Paper Series 2018-02, More information
Naudé, Wim & Paula Nagler, 2017, Technological Innovation and Inclusive Growth in Germany, Inclusive Growth Working Paper no. 18
Nagler, Paula & Wim Naudé, 2014, Young Entrepreneurs in Rural Africa: Prevalence, Determinants, Productivity, IZA Discussion Paper No. 8564, More information
Nagler, Paula & Wim Naudé, 2014, Non-Farm Enterprises in Rural Africa: New Empirical Evidence, Policy Research Working Paper No. WPS 7066. Washington, DC: World Bank Group, More information
Nagler, Paula & Wim Naudé, 2014, Labor Productivity in Rural African Enterprises: Empirical Evidence from the LSMS-ISA, IZA Discussion Paper No. 8524, More information
Nagler, Paula & Wim Naudé, 2014, Non-Farm Entrepreneurship in Rural Africa: Patterns and Determinants, IZA Discussion Paper No. 8008, More information


Theses
Nagler, Paula, 2015, Occupational choice in the developing world, PhD dissertation Maastricht University / United Nations University, More information


Briefs
Naudé, Wim & Paula Nagler, 2017, Technologische Innovationen und Inklusives Wachstum in Deutschland, Policy Brief 2017/08, Bertelsmann Stiftung

UNU-MERIT