ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses the interrelated issues: the impact of labor emigration, the structure and functioning of agricultural labor markets, and the causes and consequences of farm mechanization in Egypt. It examines the critical role of mixed crop and livestock production in explaining the apparent puzzles of changing labor and machine use in Egyptian agriculture. The book shows that the supply of such labor is inelastic with respect to the wage rate. It provides evidence of involuntary unemployment during the slack season: there are people who would be willing to work at a wage lower than the average wage actually paid, evidence of imperfect labor market information. The book explores the strong linkage between unskilled rural emigration and construction activity in the Oil States. It focuses on agricultural mechanization and government policy. The book analyzes the private benefits of mechanization in the Delta.
