Income Inequality (income + inequality)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting


Selected Abstracts


TRENDS IN NEIGHBORHOOD INCOME INEQUALITY IN THE U.S.: 1980,2000,

JOURNAL OF REGIONAL SCIENCE, Issue 5 2008
Christopher H. Wheeler
ABSTRACT This paper reports evidence on the geographic pattern of income inequality, both within and between neighborhoods, across a sample of 359 U.S. metropolitan areas between 1980 and 2000. The results indicate that overall income inequality within a metro area tends to be driven by variation within neighborhoods, not between them, although we find that between-neighborhood differences rose dramatically during the 1980s and subsided somewhat during the 1990s. While this trend is similar to what existing research has found, our findings reveal potentially important differences in the magnitudes of the changes depending on whether neighborhoods are defined by block groups or tracts. [source]


Schumpeterian Growth Theory and the Dynamics of Income Inequality

ECONOMETRICA, Issue 3 2002
Philippe Aghion
In this lecture, it is argued that Schumpeterian Growth Theory, in which growth is driven by a sequence of quality-improving innovations, can shed light on two important puzzles raised by the recent evolution of wage inequality in developed economies. The first puzzle concerns wage inequality between educational groups, which has substantially risen in the US and the UK during the past two decades following a sharp increase in the supply of educated labor. The second puzzle concerns wage inequality within educational groups, which accounts for a large fraction of the observed increase in wage inequality, although in contrast to between-group wage inequality it has mainly affected the temporary component of income. [source]


Regional Income Inequality and International Trade

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2004
Julie A. Silva
Abstract: This study investigates the effects of trade on income inequality across regions in the United States. Using both structural and price-based measures of regional trade involvement, we evaluate the effects of trade on inequality within and across states, the metropolitan and nonmetropolitan portions of the states, and the major census regions. Across all states and metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, we found that trade affects inequality primarily via import and export prices. In contrast to our expectations, however, a weaker dollar,more expensive imports and cheaper exports,is associated with the worsening of a state's position relative to other states and greater inequality within the state. Across the census regions, both our price and orientation measures had significant effects, but the direction of these effects varied by region. Whereas many regions benefited from cheaper imports, states in regions that are traditionally home to low-wage sectors, including the Southeast and South Central regions, were made relatively worse off by lower import prices and by greater orientation toward import-competing goods. Our findings reinforce notions about the uneven impacts of globalization and suggest that policy measures are needed to ensure that both the benefits and costs of involvement in international trade are shared across regions. [source]


County-Level Income Inequality and Depression among Older Americans

HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 6p2 2003
Naoko Muramatsu
Objectives. To examine (1) whether county-level income inequality is associated with depression among Americans aged 70 and older, taking into consideration county-level mean household income and individual-level socioeconomic status (SES), demographic characteristics, and physical health, and (2) whether income inequality effects are stronger among people with lower SES and physical health. Data Sources. The individual-level data from the first wave of the Assets and Health Dynamics among the Oldest Old survey (1993,1994) were linked with the county-level income inequality and mean household income data from the 1990 Census. Study Design. Multilevel analysis was conducted to examine the association between income inequality (the Gini coefficient) and depression. Principal Findings. Income inequality was significantly associated with depression among older Americans. Those living in counties with higher income inequality were more depressed, independent of their demographic characteristics, SES, and physical health. The association was stronger among those with more illnesses. Conclusions. While previous empirical research on income inequality and physical health is equivocal, evidence for income inequality effects on mental health seems to be strong. [source]


Income Inequality as a Public Health Concern: Where Do We Stand?

HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 1p1 2003
Commentary on "Is Exposure to Income Inequality a Public Health Concern?"
First page of article [source]


Economic Development, Income Inequality, and Preferences for Redistribution,

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2010
Michelle L. Dion
Adopting a cross-regional and global perspective, this article critically evaluates one of the core assertions of political economy approaches to welfare,that support for redistribution is inversely related to income. We hypothesize that economic self-interest gives way to more uniform support for redistribution in the interest of ensuring that basic or relative needs are met in less developed and highly unequal societies. To test this hypothesis, we analyze individual-level surveys combined with country-level indicators for more than 50 countries between 1984 and 2004. Our analysis shows that individual-level income does not systematically explain support for redistribution in countries with low levels of economic development or high levels of income inequality. These findings challenge the universality of the assumption of economic self-interest in shaping preferences for redistribution that has been so pervasive in the literature. [source]


Household Debt and Income Inequality, 1963,2003

JOURNAL OF MONEY, CREDIT AND BANKING, Issue 5 2008
MATTEO IACOVIELLO
income inequality; household debt; credit constraints; incomplete markets I construct an economy with heterogeneous agents that mimics the time-series behavior of the earnings distribution in the United States from 1963 to 2003. Agents face aggregate and idiosyncratic shocks and accumulate real and financial assets. I estimate the shocks that drive the model using data on income inequality, aggregate income, and measures of financial liberalization. I show how the model economy can replicate two empirical facts: the trend and cyclical behavior of household debt and the diverging patterns in consumption and wealth inequality over time. While business cycle fluctuations can account for the short-run changes in household debt, its prolonged rise of the 1980s and the 1990s can be quantitatively explained only by the concurrent increase in income inequality. [source]


Ability, Education, and Income Inequality

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMIC THEORY, Issue 2 2004
Buly A. Cardak
A model of education where the distribution of abilities is the source of heterogeneity is investigated. Ability is a key determinant of human capital accumulated when young, which in turn determines income and its distribution. The assumption of heterogeneous abilities leads to steady-state income distributions that exhibit income inequality. Of particular interest is the result that symmetric distributions of ability generate positively skewed income distributions. Models of private and public education are analyzed and compared. It is found that private education results in higher incomes and less income inequality than observed in the public education model. [source]


Income Inequality and Economic Growth

KYKLOS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, Issue 3 2000
Pak Hung Mo
We develop an analytical framework to investigate some plausible channels that income inequality affects economic growth. Our empirical study concludes that income inequality has significant negative effect on the rate of GDP growth. Among the channels suggested by recent literature, we find that the most important one is the transfer channel while the least important one is the human capital channel. However, the direct impact of income inequality on the rate of productivity growth accounts for more than 55 percent of its overall total effect. This indicates that the effects of income inequality on economic growth are much more complicated than what we have perceived or modeled. [source]


Income Inequality, Unequal Health Care Access, and Mortality in China

POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 3 2006
Zhongwei Zhao
First page of article [source]


The Long-run Determinants of Australian Income Inequality,

THE ECONOMIC RECORD, Issue 270 2009
NOEL GASTON
Recent interest has been stimulated by the growth of income inequality in most developed countries during the 1980s and 1990s. However, considerable uncertainty still exists as to which factors have been the most important causes of this development. This article uses a measure of income inequality derived from taxation statistics and a recently proposed method for testing long-run Granger non-causality to examine the key determinants of Australia's inequality for the years 1970,2001. In line with popular concern, we find that globalisation and technological progress , defined as the global flow of information , has increased income inequality. In contrast, improved terms of trade have been equity-enhancing. Of the institutional determinants, de-unionisation has had an adverse effect on income inequality, whereas higher minimum wages have reduced it. [source]


Statistical Inference and Changes in Income Inequality in Australia

THE ECONOMIC RECORD, Issue 247 2003
George Athanasopoulos
This paper studies the changes in income inequality in Australia between 1986 and 1999, using the Gini coefficient and Theil's inequality measure. Individuals are divided into various subgroups along several dimensions, namely region of residence, employment status, occupation and age. The change in inequality over time, between and within these subgroups is studied, and the bootstrap method is used to establish whether these changes are statistically significant. [source]


Consumption and Income Inequality in Australia

THE ECONOMIC RECORD, Issue 233 2000
GARRY F. BARRETT
Consumption may be a more appropriate measure of household well-being than income or earnings. Using four ABS Household Expenditures Surveys collected between 1975 and 1993, we compare trends in consumption and income inequality among Australian households. We find that consumption is much more equal than income. While there were significant increases in both income and consumption inequality, consumption inequality rose by much less. One interpretation of the results is that some income inequality in Australia reflects transitory fluctuations which households can smooth,,and that part of the growth in income inequality reflects an increase in these transitory fluctuations. [source]


Is Income Inequality a Determinant of Population Health?

THE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2004
Part 1.
This article reviews 98 aggregate and multilevel studies examining the associations between income inequality and health. Overall, there seems to be little support for the idea that income inequality is a major, generalizable determinant of population health differences within or between rich countries. Income inequality may, however, directly influence some health outcomes, such as homicide in some contexts. The strongest evidence for direct health effects is among states in the United States, but even that is somewhat mixed. Despite little support for a direct effect of income inequality on health per se, reducing income inequality by raising the incomes of the most disadvantaged will improve their health, help reduce health inequalities, and generally improve population health. [source]


Economic Crisis and Income Inequality in Korea

ASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 1 2001
Kwang Soo Cheong
[source]


Income Inequality and Kuznets' Hypothesis in Thailand

ASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000
Yukio Ikemoto
First page of article [source]


Income Inequality in Malaysia,

ASIAN ECONOMIC POLICY REVIEW, Issue 1 2008
Haji Mat Zin RAGAYAH
The objective of this paper is to examine the changes in Malaysian income distribution during the last three and a half decades and the reasons for the changes. It was found that the Gini ratio for Malaysia peaked in 1976 and fell thereafter to 1990. However, inequality seems to reverse its direction since then. Policies that could explain the changes in income distribution include the promotion of export-oriented industrialization, education, and training, and the restructuring of equity ownership and assistance in asset accumulation. While the various other redistributive measures in the form of rural development helped in poverty eradication, their effectiveness in redistribution needs to be improved. Several hypotheses have been forwarded to explain the widening of income inequality after 1990. These include the difference in the growth rates of incomes of the rural and urban areas, trade and globalization, and impediments to the process of internal migration. [source]


Enrolment in Higher Education and Changes in Income Inequality

BULLETIN OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2003
Kevin Sylwester
O15; I21 Using a cross-section of countries, this paper empirically examines whether greater enrolment rates in higher education are associated with increases or decreases in subsequent income inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient. It finds a negative association between the two, suggesting that countries with larger enrolment rates saw their income inequality decrease relative to other countries. These findings are robust to the inclusion of several control variables and to limiting the sample to non-OECD countries. [source]


Decomposing Income Inequality and Policy Implications in Rural China

CHINA AND WORLD ECONOMY, Issue 2 2007
Lerong Yu
D63; O53; R 58 Abstract Using village data from samples covering 6 provinces, 36 counties and 216 townships, the income inequalities within and between townships in rural China are assessed. The Theil index and the mean logarithmic deviation methods enable us to test income inequality at the township level, and to decompose it into intra-regional and inter-regional at county and provincial levels. In the present paper, we also decompose income inequalities between and within the nationally designated poor counties (NDPC). The results show that approximately two-thirds of the income inequality in rural China would be eliminated if measures and policies were targeted at the county level. This study also confirms the rationale that China's poverty alleviation strategy of focusing on poor counties based on the inequalities between NDPC and non-NDPC accounts for the most inter-province inequality. [source]


China's New Rural Income Support Policy: Impacts on Grain Production and Rural Income Inequality

CHINA AND WORLD ECONOMY, Issue 6 2006
Nico Heerink
D58; Q12; Q18 Abstract This paper analyses the impact of agricultural tax abolition and direct income payments to grain farmers on grain production and rural inequality in China. To separate the impact of the income support measures from recent price trends for grains and inputs, and to account for differences in household responses, we use a village-level general equilibrium model that we calibrate for two villages with different degrees of market access in Jiangxi province. The results show that the income support policy does not reach its goal of promoting grain production. The increased incomes allow farm households to buy more inputs for livestock production and involve other activities that are more profitable than grain farming. Selling of rice outside the villages declines more than rice production, because households in the villages consume more rice when incomes rise. We further find that the income support measures tend to reduce income within a village, but that tax abolition tends to widen income inequality between villages. (Edited by Zhinan Zhang) [source]


Corporatism and income inequality in the global economy: A panel study of 17 OECD countries

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2003
DANIEL J. MINNICH
The conventional wisdom of domestic politics in the global economy holds that that the globalization of the market economy has spelled the imminent collapse of corporatist bargaining institutions and the corporatist goal of economic equality. This conventional wisdom, however, highlights an interesting puzzle: it was the process of internationalization and economic openness itself that generated corporatist institutions. This study examines whether corporatist institutions are still effective in ensuring the corporatist goal of equality in the ,global' economy. Income inequality from the early 1980s to the middle 1990s is used as a measure of institutional effectiveness. It is argued that corporatism, as a form of interest mediation, is a path-dependent institution that generates increasing returns in terms of equality in the most internationalized economies. Results of a panel study of 17 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries indicate that corporatism reduces income inequality and, contrary to the conventional wisdom, income inequality is lowest in the most ,global' national economies. [source]


County-Level Income Inequality and Depression among Older Americans

HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 6p2 2003
Naoko Muramatsu
Objectives. To examine (1) whether county-level income inequality is associated with depression among Americans aged 70 and older, taking into consideration county-level mean household income and individual-level socioeconomic status (SES), demographic characteristics, and physical health, and (2) whether income inequality effects are stronger among people with lower SES and physical health. Data Sources. The individual-level data from the first wave of the Assets and Health Dynamics among the Oldest Old survey (1993,1994) were linked with the county-level income inequality and mean household income data from the 1990 Census. Study Design. Multilevel analysis was conducted to examine the association between income inequality (the Gini coefficient) and depression. Principal Findings. Income inequality was significantly associated with depression among older Americans. Those living in counties with higher income inequality were more depressed, independent of their demographic characteristics, SES, and physical health. The association was stronger among those with more illnesses. Conclusions. While previous empirical research on income inequality and physical health is equivocal, evidence for income inequality effects on mental health seems to be strong. [source]


INCOME DISTRIBUTION, TECHNICAL CHANGE AND THE DYNAMICS OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

METROECONOMICA, Issue 1 2007
Michael A. Landesmann
ABSTRACT This paper explores the features of a dynamic multisectoral model that focuses on the relationship between income distribution, growth and international specialization. The model is explored both for the steady-state properties and the transitory dynamics of integrated economies. Income inequality affects the patterns of growth and international specialization as the model uses non-linear Engel curves and hence different income groups are characterized by different expenditure patterns. At the same time income distribution is also reflected in the relative wage rates of skilled to unskilled workers, i.e. the skill premium, and hence the wage structure affects comparative costs of industries which have different skill intensities. The model is applied to a situation that analyses qualitatively different economic development strategies of catching-up economies (a ,Latin American' scenario and a ,East Asian' scenario). [source]


Is Income Inequality a Determinant of Population Health?

THE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2004
Part 1.
This article reviews 98 aggregate and multilevel studies examining the associations between income inequality and health. Overall, there seems to be little support for the idea that income inequality is a major, generalizable determinant of population health differences within or between rich countries. Income inequality may, however, directly influence some health outcomes, such as homicide in some contexts. The strongest evidence for direct health effects is among states in the United States, but even that is somewhat mixed. Despite little support for a direct effect of income inequality on health per se, reducing income inequality by raising the incomes of the most disadvantaged will improve their health, help reduce health inequalities, and generally improve population health. [source]


Globalization, Financial Crisis, and Industrial Relations: The Case of South Korea

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 3 2003
Dong-one Kim
The South Korean case shows that the globalization trend in the 1990s and the 1997,1998 financial crisis had two contrasting effects on labor rights. First, these developments resulted in negative labor market outcomes: increased unemployment, greater use of contingent workers, and widened income inequalities. On the other hand, they led international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) to play important roles in improving labor standards in Korea. Also, continued restructuring drives prompted unions to merge into industrial unions and wage strikes with increased frequency and intensity. Contrary to the common belief, the Korean case shows that globalization and intensified competition resulted in stronger and strategic responses from labor by stimulating employees' interest in and reliance on trade unionism. [source]


Class and gender inequalities in different types of welfare states: the Social Citizenship Indicator Program (SCIP)

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE, Issue 2010
Walter KorpiArticle first published online: 8 APR 2010
Korpi W. Class and gender inequalities in different types of welfare states: the Social Citizenship Indicator Program (SCIP) Int J Soc Welfare 2010: ,,: ,,,,,© 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare. This article considers the role of legislated welfare state institutions as mediators of effects of political and structural forces on citizens' levels of living of relevance to inequalities in health and mortality. The focus is on institutional structures of welfare state programmes relevant to class inequality, as indicated by income inequalities, and to gender inequality, conceived of as differences in agency. I introduce the Social Citizenship Indicator Program, a database providing quantitative and qualitative information on structures of main social insurance programmes in 18 countries from 1930 to 2000, on about 300,000 data points. It is used to delineate types of distributive institutions of relevance for income inequality. Institutions relevant for gendered agency inequality affect choices by women, especially mothers, between unpaid and paid work. Driving forces behind the emergence of differences in distributive institutions are discussed, and patterns of class and gender inequalities are outlined. [source]


Chile's Neoliberal Agrarian Transformation and the Peasantry

JOURNAL OF AGRARIAN CHANGE, Issue 4 2002
Cristóbal Kay
In the mid,1970s, following the early shift to neoliberalism, the Chilean rural sector was restructured dramatically, becoming one of the most successful cases of non,traditional agricultural export (NTAE) growth. However, many analysts fail to discuss the problematic nature of Chile's integration into the global market. Underpinning this rapid growth of NTAEs is the exploitation of cheap peasant labour, especially seasonal female wage workers. This article examines the elements of continuity and change in agrarian policy since the transition to democracy in 1990. In particular, it presents the policy debate on the future of the peasantry: capitalization or proletarianization? The dilemma that policy makers face over maintaining high rates of NTAE growth while at the same time attempting to reduce poverty and income inequalities are also highlighted. The Chilean case can be considered as paradigmatic insofar as it exhibits key characteristics of the classical capitalist transformation of agriculture: the emergence of a new class of dynamic agricultural entrepreneurs, renewed proletarianization and land concentration, and intensification of social differentiation. [source]


Political Economy of Income Distribution: A Comparative Study of Taiwan and Mexico

POLICY STUDIES JOURNAL, Issue 2 2000
He Li
Both Taiwan and Mexico have experienced remarkable economic growth since the 1960s. Taiwan demonstrates that higher income level can be accompanied by falling income inequalities. However, unlike Taiwan, the course of economic growth in Mexico has left the country with a very unequal distribution of income. This paper compares the government policies of income distribution in Mexico and Taiwan and identifies the factors contributing to the success of Taiwan and to the highly uneven income distribution in Mexico. The paper concludes that market-oriented growth does not automatically reduce inequality or poverty. The prospects for better income equity and sustainable economic development would be greatly enhanced through implementation of policies aimed at redistributing land and skills, facilitating small enterprises, and increasing domestic saving. [source]


Understanding change in cities: a personal research path

THE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 2 2007
LARRY S. BOURNE
At the invitation of the editor, this article offers an overview of my personal research trajectory in one thematic area,the study of urban form, structure and growth. The purpose of the article is not to assign prominence to any particular research style or approach but to illustrate how ideas and priorities in research evolve over a given time period and under specific conditions, as viewed through the lens of my own experience. The article traces the sequential evolution of my research activity and publications from an initial emphasis on understanding change in inner-city land use and built form, through studies of decision making and the behavioural bases of urban form, to analyses of social change, income inequalities and spatial polarization, and then to issues of planning, policy and governance in emerging city regions. The review highlights lessons learned and concludes with an argument for more inclusive and comparative research. À l'invitation de l'éditeur en chef, cet article offre un aperçu de ma trajectoire de recherche axée sur un domaine spécifique,l'étude de la forme, de la structure et de la croissance urbaine. L'article ne vise pas à mettre en valeur un style ou une approche de recherche en particulier, mais plutôt à fournir, à partir de ma propre expérience, un exemple de la manière dont les idées et les orientations de recherche peuvent évoluer au cours d'une période de temps et sous certaines conditions. Cet article présente de façon séquentielle l'évolution de mes activités de recherche et de mes publications qui portaient initialement sur les changements de l'occupation du sol et des formes urbaines dans les centre-ville, pour porter par la suite sur l'étude des processus décisionnels et des facteurs comportementaux liés aux formes urbaines, à des analyses des changements sociaux, des inégalités de revenu et de la polarisation spatiale, et finalement aux enjeux entourant la planification, les politiques publiques et la gouvernance dans les régions urbaines en émergence. Ce bilan permet de dégager des enseignements et se termine par une discussion sur le besoin d'une recherche plus inclusive et comparative. [source]


ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES FOR UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

ANNALS OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL PRACTICE, Issue 1 2009
Sunil K. Khanna
The current global food crisis can be, in part, described as an outcome of not only historical patterns of income inequalities and long-standing food trade policies biased in favor of wealthier nations but also in terms of significant reductions in food aid and other safety-net programs for people living in poor nations. Despite the serious nature of the problem of food insecurity, only a limited amount of reliable descriptive research, especially at the community level, has explored the causes and consequences of the current food crisis. Anthropology offers a unique set of methodological and theoretical approaches that can be useful for designing, implementing, and evaluating programs and policies aimed at alleviating poverty and reducing food insecurity. Anthropologically informed research can provide a dynamic understanding of food insecurity in terms of its causes and consequences and its local, regional, and global underpinnings. This information can be helpful in incorporating a community-level understanding of the "local" determinants of food insecurity for developing effective and sustainable food policy and intervention programs. [source]