Did ‘Burmese Way to Socialism’ Create Jobs Equitably?
Keywords:
Myanmar, Burma, mployment, military junta, equality, ethnic conflictAbstract
This study examines whether the adoption of the ‘Burmese Way to Socialism’ philosophy by Myanmar’s military regime affected employment opportunities in non-agriculture sectors and created jobs equitably for the Burmese majority and other ethnic minorities. The econometric analyses of two censuses between 2014 and 2019 showed that the growth of industrial employment in Myanmar faltered under the military junta. Also, the majority ethnic Burmese gained more employment than other ethnic minorities, indicating that the economic inequality widened under the military regime. These results contradict the socialist ideology of industrialization and equality touted by the military government.
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