Salario mínimo, pobreza y clase vulnerable, estudio de caso en Ecuador

The increase in the minimum wage in South American countries depends on the economic model defined in Anglo-Saxon countries. For neoliberalism, minimum wages and poverty have a positive relationship, while for post-Keynesianism it is negative. In this research we identify the variations of the minimum wage have on the incomes of the different economic deciles in Ecuador. We conclude that the variation of the minimum wage does not impact the decile in extreme poverty, decile 1. It impacts the decile closest to the minimum wage, decile 4, but also deciles 2, 3 and 5, because there is a “lighthouse effect” on them. Increasing the minimum wage can be an effective policy to reduce poverty and sustain the vulnerable social class (those between poverty and the middle class). Reducing informality would make the impact of the minimum wage more transparent, which would improve its capacity as a public policy tool.