The central government of Colombia imposes a variety of taxes on the wages of workers. Some of these taxes are more properly viewed as "contributions" because individuals are entitled to benefits, the size of which varies with their contributions. Some may also be seen as a way to force people...

This paper documents and analyses the predominance of informal employment in Africa and shows that lack of demand for labour rather than worker characteristics is the main reason for pervasive underemployment. Integration into the global economy and exports of labour-intensive products are vital...