Determinação dos salários na agricultura

Abstract

This paper analyzes the performance of rural wages in Brazil as well as it estimating equations for their determination. The period analyzed is from 1971 to 1996. Rural workers are grouped into two categories, temporary and permanent, and wages are considered for the whole of Brazil and for two regions: one with less technified agriculture and another with more technified agriculture. A theoretical framework is elaborated considering the segmentation of labor force and the role of minimum wage as a price index for the rural wages. Basing on this model, econometric equations are elaborated. By using the Fuller and Battese procedures, the econometric equations are estimated on a pooled data set. Among the results, one of the most relevant is that the minimum wage has a very important role in determining rural wages in Brazil. However, labor productivity has different impacts on rural wages depending on the workers’ category and their regional location. The paper ends by suggesting some policies that may enhance the ability of rural workers to take advantage of the huge increase of Brazil’s agricultural labor productivity that has happened during the last three decades.