Agenda > Tous les événements
Séminaire GREThA – programme 3
Thomas Calvo
(DIAL, UMR LEDa, Université Paris-Dauphine, Université PSL)
Crime in Madagascar: Coping with fear and victimisation on the labour market
Abstract:
This paper studies the effects of crime-related insecurity on workers’ decisions in the informal sector in Madagascar. I examine how victimisation and the fear of crime impact individuals’ labour market outcomes by using labour force survey that includes unique data on governance, peace and security (GPS-SHaSA). Results show that the effects of both victimisation and fear are detrimental for workers of the informal sector. The relationships between the number of hours worked and victimisation on the one hand and the fear of crime on the other hand are yet opposite. While victims appear to work less, and their earnings consequently diminish, fearful adults work on average up to two hours more per week than secure workers. This increased workload is entirely driven by workers of the agricultural sector. It suggests that in rural areas workers establish protection strategies. The fear of crime correlates negatively with workers’ total productivity. Fearful workers are also more vulnerable to risks as their earning sources become less diversified. Furthermore, the need to protect crops and livestock increases labour participation of children but does not affect their school attendance. In urban areas, workers of the nonagricultural sector seem to cope with fear in the opposite direction as the time spent at work decreases. Nonagricultural workers in urban areas tend to favour avoidance strategy.