L'inégalité des chances sur le marché du travail urbain ouest-africain

This paper aims at evaluating to what extent one’s position in the labour market is determined by his social background and what explains differences between seven West-African capital cities. Does the father’s position influence directly the occupational situation of his children through the transmission of informational, social or physical capital gained in the course of his career? Or does it play an indirect role through determining the educational level of his children? In the first case, reducing inequality of opportunities means improving labour markets efficiency and in the second case, it means improving educational policy.