O objetivo proposto deste estudo é analisar o processo de determinação do salário mínimo no Brasil de forma a encontrar a relação entre a determinação do salário mínimo e variáveis políticas e institucionais no Brasil. A hipótese do estudo é de que os aspectos institucionais referentes à participação da sociedade civil na fixação do salário mínimo e o contexto político envolvido em sua determinação são relevantes para explicar os movimentos do salário mínimo real ao longo do tempo. À medida que o bem-estar do eleitor mediano é levado em consideração, os aspectos institucionais e políticos condicionam a decisão do governante, de forma que a variação do salário mínimo não pode ser entendida como sendo exclusivamente relacionada a aspectos econômicos. Foi realizada uma análise do comportamento do salário mínimo real entre 1940 e 2012. A série de tempo apresentou instabilidade ao longo do período e, por meio de um exercício econométrico, foram identificados seis pontos de quebra estrutural que resultaram em sete patamares distintos de valor do salário mínimo. A análise das quebras fornece um primeiro indicativo de que os aspectos políticos e institucionais são relevantes na determinação do salário mínimo. Foi estimado um modelo de regressão que aponta evidências de que a variação do salário mínimo no Brasil é influenciada pela ideologia do partido no poder, pela melhoria nas instituições democráticas e pela regra formal de fixação do salário mínimo. Outras evidências que apontam uma correlação negativa entre a variação do salário mínimo real com a variação da proxy para o nível de desemprego e com a variação da proxy para elasticidade da demanda por trabalho são também encontradas. Além disso, as evidências assinalam que a determinação do salário mínimo tem relação com a restrição orçamentária do governo a partir da vinculação do salário mínimo aos benefícios previdenciários em 1988 e, também, que a política de salário mínimo foi utilizada como mais um componente das políticas de combate à inflação entre 1965 e 1994. / The objective of this work is to analyze the Brazilian minimum wage fixing process. The hypothesis is that institutional aspects referred as the formal rules for minimum wage fixing and the political environment are relevant for understanding the Brazilian real minimum wage behavior over time. In taking into consideration the medium voter welfare, institutional and political aspects influence the politician’s decision, in which the minimum wage variation cannot be understood as being related solely to economics issues. An analysis of the real minimum wage behavior between 1940 e 2012 has been made. The time series has presented instability over the period and a econometric exercise has found six breakpoints that result into seven different levels of minimum wage values. The breakpoint analysis offers a first sign that political and institutional aspects are relevant in minimum wage fixing. To test the hypothesis, a regression model has been estimated. It presents evidences that the minimum wage variation is influenced by parties’ ideologies, improvements in democratic institutions, and by the formal rules for minimum wage fixing. Other evidences are also found that show a negative correlation between the minimum wage variation and variations of the proxy for the level of unemployment and of the proxy for labor demand elasticity. Besides, it seems to be a relationship between the minimum wage determination and the government budget constraints after 1988 – when the minimum wage was linked as a minimum earnings to retirement pensions – and, also, that the minimum policy between 1965 and 1994 was used as component of economic policies to restrain inflation.

O objetivo proposto deste estudo é analisar o processo de determinação do salário mínimo no Brasil de forma a encontrar a relação entre a determinação do salário mínimo e variáveis políticas e institucionais no Brasil. A hipótese do estudo é de que os aspectos institucionais referentes à participação da sociedade civil na fixação do salário mínimo e o contexto político envolvido em sua determinação são relevantes para explicar os movimentos do salário mínimo real ao longo do tempo. À medida que o bem-estar do eleitor mediano é levado em consideração, os aspectos institucionais e políticos condicionam a decisão do governante, de forma que a variação do salário mínimo não pode ser entendida como sendo exclusivamente relacionada a aspectos econômicos. Foi realizada uma análise do comportamento do salário mínimo real entre 1940 e 2012. A série de tempo apresentou instabilidade ao longo do período e, por meio de um exercício econométrico, foram identificados seis pontos de quebra estrutural que resultaram em sete patamares distintos de valor do salário mínimo. A análise das quebras fornece um primeiro indicativo de que os aspectos políticos e institucionais são relevantes na determinação do salário mínimo. Foi estimado um modelo de regressão que aponta evidências de que a variação do salário mínimo no Brasil é influenciada pela ideologia do partido no poder, pela melhoria nas instituições democráticas e pela regra formal de fixação do salário mínimo. Outras evidências que apontam uma correlação negativa entre a variação do salário mínimo real com a variação da proxy para o nível de desemprego e com a variação da proxy para elasticidade da demanda por trabalho são também encontradas. Além disso, as evidências assinalam que a determinação do salário mínimo tem relação com a restrição orçamentária do governo a partir da vinculação do salário mínimo aos benefícios previdenciários em 1988 e, também, que a política de salário mínimo foi utilizada como mais um componente das políticas de combate à inflação entre 1965 e 1994. / The objective of this work is to analyze the Brazilian minimum wage fixing process. The hypothesis is that institutional aspects referred as the formal rules for minimum wage fixing and the political environment are relevant for understanding the Brazilian real minimum wage behavior over time. In taking into consideration the medium voter welfare, institutional and political aspects influence the politician’s decision, in which the minimum wage variation cannot be understood as being related solely to economics issues. An analysis of the real minimum wage behavior between 1940 e 2012 has been made. The time series has presented instability over the period and a econometric exercise has found six breakpoints that result into seven different levels of minimum wage values. The breakpoint analysis offers a first sign that political and institutional aspects are relevant in minimum wage fixing. To test the hypothesis, a regression model has been estimated. It presents evidences that the minimum wage variation is influenced by parties’ ideologies, improvements in democratic institutions, and by the formal rules for minimum wage fixing. Other evidences are also found that show a negative correlation between the minimum wage variation and variations of the proxy for the level of unemployment and of the proxy for labor demand elasticity. Besides, it seems to be a relationship between the minimum wage determination and the government budget constraints after 1988 – when the minimum wage was linked as a minimum earnings to retirement pensions – and, also, that the minimum policy between 1965 and 1994 was used as component of economic policies to restrain inflation.

Na presente dissertação, tenho como objetivo examinar os fatores políticos que explicam a recente trajetória de valorização salário mínimo no Brasil. Trata-se de um esforço em apontar os interesses e estratégias adotadas por atores envolvidos no processo de negociação e fixação do salário mínimo que foram determinantes para os rumos dados à política entre 1995 e 2016. Por meio da análise do processo decisório, demonstro como a dinâmica de pressão dupla constrangimento fiscal e incentivo eleitoral provoca convergência de preferências entre os partidos. Nesse cenário, partidos do governo utilizam dispositivos institucionais para promover reajustes do salário mínimo em níveis que não comprometam as contas públicas e trabalham para vetar a aprovação de (i) projetos de lei da oposição e (ii) emendas parlamentares que promovam reajustes superiores aos determinados pelo Poder Executivo. Ao longo do tempo, a estratégia se mostrou constante tanto em governos de centro, como os dois primeiros mandatos de FHC, quando de centro-esquerda, nos mandatos de Lula e Rousseff. Identifico três momentos distintos da trajetória do salário mínimo. No primeiro (1996 a 2001), após a derrota parlamentar da coalizão em 1995, o governo FHC emitia Medidas Provisórias e a coalizão bloqueava a tramitação de Projetos de Lei da oposição. No segundo (2002 2005), com a obrigatoriedade de tramitação das Medidas Provisórias, o governo trabalhou para alinhar os interesses da coalizão no Legislativo e garantir a aprovação da lei de acordo com as preferências do governo. No terceiro (2006 2016), o acordo entre governo e centrais sindicais estabeleceu critério de reajuste a longo prazo baseado na variação do INPC e PIB, regra institucionalizada no início do governo Rousseff. / In this thesis, I examine the political factors that explain the recent trajectory of minimum wage growth in Brazil. It is an effort to point out the interests and strategies adopted by actors involved in the process of negotiating and fixing the minimum wage that were decisive for the directions given to the policy between 1995 and 2016. Through the analysis of the decision-making process, I demonstrate how a dual political pressure fiscal constraint and electoral incentive leads to convergence of preferences among parties. In this scenario, government parties use institutional arrangements to promote minimum wage readjustments at levels that do not compromise public accounts while working to veto the approval of (i) opposition bills and (ii) parliamentary amendments that promote growth rates above the Executive Branch\'s proposal. Over time, the strategy has been constant both in center-wing governments, with the first two mandates of FHC (PSDB), and in center-left governments, with the mandates of Lula and Rousseff (PT). I identify three distinct moments in the trajectory of the minimum wage policy. In the first (1996 2001), after a coalition proposal suffered a defeat in Congress in 1995, the FHC government issued Decrees and its coalition blocked the passage of parliamentary bills of the opposition. In the second (2002 - 2005), with the requirement of voting and passing Decrees in parliament, governments worked to align the interests of their coalitions in the legislature and ensure passing of the law according to their preferences. In the third (2006- 2016), an agreement between the PT governments and labor unions established a longterm adjustment criterion based on the variation of the inflation and GDP, a rule institutionalized in 2011 (Rousseff\'s government).

Dans la première partie, la thèse analyse l'effet de la législation relative à la protection de l'emploi sur les flux de travailleurs (embauches, licenciements, démissions, changements d'emploi) dans les pays de l'OCDE. Les résultats suggèrent qu'une régulation plus contraignante diminue le taux de réallocation au sein du même secteur et les transitions d'un emploi à un autre, en particulier vers des emplois permanents. En revanche, une régulation plus restrictive n'a pas d'effet significatif sur les séparations impliquant un changement de secteur ou une perte d'emploi. La possibilité de réintégration en cas de licenciement abusif semble être le déterminant le plus important.La deuxième partie contribue au débat sur le salaire minimum en Europe en apportant de nouvelles données sur les pays où les salaires sont fixés au niveau sectoriel en les comparant avec les pays où le salaire minimum est fixé au niveau national. Les résultats montrent que les systèmes avec des minima sectoriels sont associés à un salaire minimum relativement plus élevé que les systèmes dotés de salaire minimum national, mais cela va de pair avec davantage de travailleurs rémunérés en dessous des minima en vigueur.La troisième partie estime l'effet de la diversité sur la productivité et les salaires en Belgique et en France. Les résultats montrent que la diversité en termes d'années d'éducation est bénéfique pour la productivité et les salaires alors que la diversité d'âge est nuisible. Bien que la diversité de genre génère des gains importants dans les secteurs à forte intensité technologique, le résultat inverse est obtenu dans les industries plus traditionnelles ou dans les firmes non familiales. / In the first part it analyses the effect of employment protection legislation on worker flows, i.e. the rate of worker reallocation, in OECD countries. Findings suggest that the more restrictive the regulation, the smaller is the rate of within-industry job-to-job transitions, in particular towards permanent jobs. By contrast, it finds no significant effect as regards separations involving an industry change or leading to non-employment. The extent of reinstatement in the case of unfair dismissal appears to be the most important regulatory determinant.The second part revisits the debate on minimum wages in Europe bringing new evidence on systems without a statutory minimum wage and comparing them with countries with a statutory one. Results show that systems with bargained sectoral-level minima are associated with higher Kaitz indices than systems with statutory floors, but also with more individuals actually paid below prevailing minima. Higher collective bargaining coverage can to some extent reduce this trade-off between high wage floors and non-compliance or non-coverage. The third part brings some evidence on the effect of diversity on firm productivity and wages in Belgium and France. Findings show that educational diversity is beneficial for firm productivity and wages while age diversity is harmful. Gender diversity is found to generate significant gains in high-tech/knowledge-intensive sectors or in family firms, while a negative effect is found in more traditional industries or in non-family firms.

The aim of the thesis is to analyse the relationship between the level of unemployment of selected groups of vulnerable persons on the labor market and the level of the statutory minimum wage. The theoretical part deals with the basic models of impact of the minimum wage on unemployment and presents several studies with similar objectives. In the analytical part, the use of graphical and correlation analysis examines the influence of the statutory minimum wage on the level of unemployment of vulnerable persons. The research was conducted for the period 1998-2016. Based on the results, the hypothesis is verified as "there exists a certain relationship between the level of unemployment and the statutory minimum wage". This hypothesis is confirmed for three of the six groups of vulnerable persons (people with disabilities, people below the age of 19, and people above the age of 50).

AFRIKAANS : Hierdie studie is onderneem om te bepaal wat die persepsies van boere in die Letaba Distrik is oor die invloed van die instelling van die minimum loon vir landbou op hulle boerderybesighede. Die navorser wou bepaal of die boere hulle werknemers se werkskontrakte aangepas het of die loonpakket geherstruktureer het om vir die invloed op hulle boerderybesigheid te kompenseer. Die navorser wou ook bepaal of die indiensneming van plaaswerkers beïnvloed is. Laastens wou die navorser bepaal wat die invloed van die instelling van die minimum loon op die organisasiegedrag van plaaswerkers was. Om antwoorde op bogenoemde vraagstukke te verkry, het die navorser ‘n vraelys spesifiek vir die doeleindes van hierdie studie ontwerp. Die vraelys is deur al die sitrus boere in die Letaba distrik voltooi. Na bestudering van die inligting wat uit die data van die vraelyste verkry is, het die navorser tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat boere permanente werknemers met tydelike werknemers vervang het en die loonpakket aangepas het deur die kontantloon te verhoog, maar ook die aftrekkings vir dienste en goedere wat voorheen kosteloos verskaf is. Indiensneming van plaaswerkers is baie negatief beïnvloed, met ongeveer 1270 permanente poste wat afgeskaf is na die instelling van die minimum loon. Wat die invloed op organisasiegedrag betref, het die minimum loon geen invloed na ‘n klein negatiewe invloed op afwesigheid en personeelomset getoon. Ten opsigte van produktiwiteit was werkgewers van mening dat, waar produktiwiteit verhoog het, dit as gevolg van beter bestuurspraktyke was. Werkgewers glo eerder dat die instelling van die minimum loon hulle werknemers se produktiwiteit laat daal het. Die implikasies van die resultate van hierdie studie is verreikend wanneer in ag geneem word dat bykans 1270 permanente poste op slegs 38 plase afgeskaf is. Dit impliseer dat die aantal poste wat in die landbou as geheel afgeskaf is, baie groot kan wees. Die persepsies van die boere oor die instelling van die minimum loon was dat dit ‘n bedreiging vir die volhoubaarheid van hulle boerderybesighede inhou en dat dit hulle verplig om stappe te neem om daarvoor te kompenseer, stappe wat nie noodwendig tot voordeel van werknemers strek nie. ENGLISH : This study was undertaken to ascertain what the perceptions of farmers in the Letaba district aren about the impact of the introduction of the minimum wage for agriculture on their farming businesses. The researcher wanted to ascertain whether the farmers adapted their workers’ contracts or restructured their wage package to compensate for the impact on the farming businesses. The researcher also wanted to ascertain whether the employment of farm workers were influenced. Lastly, the researcher wanted to ascertain what the influence of the introduction of the minimum wage was on the organisational behaviour of farm workers. To get answers on the above mentioned issues, the researcher designed a questionnaire specifically for this study. The questionnaire was completed by all the citrus farmers in the Letaba district. After studying the information derived from the data of the questionnaires, the researcher came to the conclusion that farmers substituted permanent workers with temporary workers and adapted the wage package by raising the cash wage but also the deductions of goods and services that were previously provided free of charge. Employment of farm workers were influenced very negatively with about 1270 permanent jobs that were scrapped after the introduction of the minimum wage. Regarding the impact on organisational behaviour, the minimum wage showed a small negative to no influence on absenteeism and worker turnover. Regarding productivity, employers were of the opinion the, where productivity was raised, it was due to improved management practises. Employers believe that the introduction of the minimum wage caused their workers’ productivity to decrease. The implications of the results of this study are far reaching when it is taken into account that roundabout 1270 permanent jobs were lost on only 38 farms. This implies that the amount of jobs lost in agriculture as a whole, could be great. The perceptions of farmers about the introduction of the minimum wage are that it is a threat to the sustainability of their farming businesses and that it obliges them to take steps to compensate for the impact, steps that aren’t always advantageous for the workers. Copyright 2008, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Minnaar, ME 2008, Persepsies oor die uitwerking van minimum lone op die sitrusbedryf (Afrikaans), MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02132012-100400 / > C12/4/72/gm / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

The aim of this thesis and its main contribution is to propose a model of optimal minimum wage that takes into account the income structure of the Czech population and the impact of adjustments to the minimum wage on unemployment and the structure of social transfers. Model brings the optimization of household income and savings in social policy redistribution, while optimizing employment and social benefits . The main hypothesis of this work is the assumption that the minimum wage can serve as a supplement social transfers. Given the ever- increasing expenditure on social security system and an open , lively debate about the consequences of the introduction of a minimum wage, this is a very current topic that needs attention. Contribution of research of this issue is to design possibilities for savings in expenditure on social policy. In the theoretical part the emphasis is aimed on the characteristics of household income, income inequality, the theoretical foundations of the social security system , tax theory and especially the concept of the minimum wage from the perspective of different economic schools. This part states the grounds for further statistical analysis and research in selected models of optimal minimum wage. The practical part is an analysis of three selected models of optimal minimum wage as well as an analysis of legislative developments and statistical values of key indicators to which the foundations were laid in the theoretical part. The research emphasizes the correlation between variables in national economy, identifying key social benefits appropriate to optimize and the implementation and effects of a possible increase in the minimum wage . The main focus of the practical part is a combination of previously gained knowledge to design model of optimal minimum wage.

The aim of the thesis is to analyse the German Act on the Regulation of a Minimum Wage, which affects Czech hauliers operating in Germany. First of all, macroeconomic and microeconomic issues in the field of road transport and of course the specifics of German Act (MILOG) are described. Secondly, the main effects of the law on business are analysed in case of the Czech haulier ¨Dítě Spedition s.r.o.¨ In the following, an increase in operating costs of the company according to the MILOG is calculated. Moreover, there is a prediction of potential scenarios in case of confirmation of legality of MILOG applying to the international road freight transport. In conclusion, the main arguments why the act is contrary to the basic principles of the single European market are explained.

The aim of my work is to describe the position of minimum wage in the Czech Republic and to insight its relationship with the other income quantities. In the first part I concentrated on the terms of related with minimum wage and after that I dealer with the development of minimum wage and I analyze its relationship with other income quantities. The last part compares the level of minimum wage in the Czech Republic with the other member states of the European Union where the minimum wage is determined by the law.

Die Einführung des flächendeckenden gesetzlichen Mindestlohns von 8,50 Euro ist ein großes, mit vielen sozialpolitischen Risiken verbundenes Experiment. Im ersten Teil dieses Übersichtsartikels zeigen wir, dass weder die unterschiedlichen theoretischen Erklärungsmodelle noch die große Anzahl empirischer Arbeiten aus anderen Ländern die Hoffnung rechtfertigen, der Mindestlohn würde in Deutschland keine substantiellen Beschäftigungsverluste mit sich bringen. Im zweiten Teil verwenden wir dann aktuelle Daten zur Lohnverteilung in Deutschland, um mit Hilfe einer Simulationsrechnung für die unterschiedlichen theoretischen Szenarien zu untersuchen, welche Beschäftigungsrisiken für unterschiedliche Zielgruppen durch die Einführung eines flächendeckenden Mindestlohns von 8,50 Euro drohen. Besonders stark betroffen sind die heutigen „Aufstocker“, die von der Mindestlohnerhöhung kaum etwas mit nach Hause nehmen können, aber in Zukunft einem ungleich höheren Arbeitsplatzrisiko ausgesetzt sind. Diese Befunde lassen zweifeln, dass die Politik mit dem Mindestlohn ihre erklärten Ziele einer erhöhten Verteilungsgerechtigkeit und der Entlastung der öffentlichen Haushalte erreichen kann.