John Ferejohn
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195392135
- eISBN:
- 9780199852543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195392135.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Many believe that the government bears an active role and responsibility on how wealth and income are generated and distributed. With the rapid increase in income inequality in a number of the ...
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Many believe that the government bears an active role and responsibility on how wealth and income are generated and distributed. With the rapid increase in income inequality in a number of the advanced democracies, it has now become a concern on whether or not this should be considered as a threat. This chapter first examines what types of equality brings concern to the people. An outline of a normative theory of legitimacy which roots regime legitimacy in the satisfaction of an “interest tracking” condition and a political theory suggesting how income inequality can weaken democratic rule is then given.Less
Many believe that the government bears an active role and responsibility on how wealth and income are generated and distributed. With the rapid increase in income inequality in a number of the advanced democracies, it has now become a concern on whether or not this should be considered as a threat. This chapter first examines what types of equality brings concern to the people. An outline of a normative theory of legitimacy which roots regime legitimacy in the satisfaction of an “interest tracking” condition and a political theory suggesting how income inequality can weaken democratic rule is then given.
Lane Kenworthy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199550593
- eISBN:
- 9780191720727
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199550593.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Economy
This chapter argues that in thinking about income inequality, our focus should be on the distribution of post-tax-post-transfer income among households, rather than the distribution of earnings among ...
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This chapter argues that in thinking about income inequality, our focus should be on the distribution of post-tax-post-transfer income among households, rather than the distribution of earnings among individuals or the distribution of market income among households. It explores the chief determinants of cross-country and over-time differences in post-tax-postt-ransfer household income inequality. It examines the impact of individual earnings, employment patterns within and across households, household composition and structure, and government redistribution. It is shown that for the countries that have been most successful at limiting inequality, redistribution has been especially significant. Keeping individual earnings inequality in check is likely to be increasingly difficult and that household structure and composition are very difficult for policy makers to influence.Less
This chapter argues that in thinking about income inequality, our focus should be on the distribution of post-tax-post-transfer income among households, rather than the distribution of earnings among individuals or the distribution of market income among households. It explores the chief determinants of cross-country and over-time differences in post-tax-postt-ransfer household income inequality. It examines the impact of individual earnings, employment patterns within and across households, household composition and structure, and government redistribution. It is shown that for the countries that have been most successful at limiting inequality, redistribution has been especially significant. Keeping individual earnings inequality in check is likely to be increasingly difficult and that household structure and composition are very difficult for policy makers to influence.
Lane Kenworthy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199550593
- eISBN:
- 9780191720727
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199550593.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Economy
Economic and social shifts have led to rising income inequality in the world's affluent countries. This is worrisome for reasons of fairness and because inequality has adverse effects on other ...
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Economic and social shifts have led to rising income inequality in the world's affluent countries. This is worrisome for reasons of fairness and because inequality has adverse effects on other socioeconomic goods. Redistribution can help, but government revenues are threatened by globalization and population aging. A way out of this impasse is for countries to increase their employment rate. Increasing employment enlarges the tax base, allowing tax revenues to rise without an increase in tax rates; it also reduces welfare state costs by decreasing the amount of government benefits going to individuals and households. The question is: can egalitarian institutions and policies be coupled with employment growth? For two decades conventional wisdom has held that the answer is no. This book provides an assessment of the experiences of rich nations since the late 1970s. It examines the impact on employment of six key policies and institutions: wage levels at the low end of the labor market, employment protection regulations, government benefit generosity, taxes, skills, and women-friendly policies. The analysis includes twenty countries, with a focus on Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The book concludes that there is some indication of tradeoffs, but that they tend to be small in magnitude. There is no parsimonious set of policies and institutions that have been the key to good or bad employment performance. Instead, there are multiple paths to employment success. The comparative experience suggests reason for optimism about possibilities for a high-employment, high-equality society.Less
Economic and social shifts have led to rising income inequality in the world's affluent countries. This is worrisome for reasons of fairness and because inequality has adverse effects on other socioeconomic goods. Redistribution can help, but government revenues are threatened by globalization and population aging. A way out of this impasse is for countries to increase their employment rate. Increasing employment enlarges the tax base, allowing tax revenues to rise without an increase in tax rates; it also reduces welfare state costs by decreasing the amount of government benefits going to individuals and households. The question is: can egalitarian institutions and policies be coupled with employment growth? For two decades conventional wisdom has held that the answer is no. This book provides an assessment of the experiences of rich nations since the late 1970s. It examines the impact on employment of six key policies and institutions: wage levels at the low end of the labor market, employment protection regulations, government benefit generosity, taxes, skills, and women-friendly policies. The analysis includes twenty countries, with a focus on Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The book concludes that there is some indication of tradeoffs, but that they tend to be small in magnitude. There is no parsimonious set of policies and institutions that have been the key to good or bad employment performance. Instead, there are multiple paths to employment success. The comparative experience suggests reason for optimism about possibilities for a high-employment, high-equality society.
Richard V. Burkhauser and Kenneth A. Couch
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195376630
- eISBN:
- 9780199865499
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195376630.003.0013
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
This chapter shows how economic growth over the last two business cycles has been distributed in the United States, and compares those changes with changes in two EU countries with quite different ...
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This chapter shows how economic growth over the last two business cycles has been distributed in the United States, and compares those changes with changes in two EU countries with quite different social Institutions: Great Britain and Germany. While income inequality is consistently highest in the United States over the past two decades, followed by Great Britain and Germany, income inequality in the United States changed little in the 1990s, fell in Great Britain, and rose in Germany. Outcomes in Great Britain over the 1990s business cycle are much closer to those in the United States than they are to Germany.Less
This chapter shows how economic growth over the last two business cycles has been distributed in the United States, and compares those changes with changes in two EU countries with quite different social Institutions: Great Britain and Germany. While income inequality is consistently highest in the United States over the past two decades, followed by Great Britain and Germany, income inequality in the United States changed little in the 1990s, fell in Great Britain, and rose in Germany. Outcomes in Great Britain over the 1990s business cycle are much closer to those in the United States than they are to Germany.
Daniele Checchi
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199271412
- eISBN:
- 9780191601255
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199271410.003.0004
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Discusses the fact that although income distribution and the distribution of educational attainments are obviously related, the sign of the relationship between educational achievements and income ...
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Discusses the fact that although income distribution and the distribution of educational attainments are obviously related, the sign of the relationship between educational achievements and income inequality cannot be predicted a priori . For this reason, the chapter investigates the empirical determinants of aggregate income inequality and, more specifically, the relative contribution of education to measured income inequality. Checchi considers this to be crucial for two reasons: first, from a theoretical point of view, it is important to understand the plausibility of studying intergenerational equilibria under stationary distributions of income and human capital in the population; second, from a policy point of view, it is important to understand whether urging countries (or people) to increase their educational achievements is going to exacerbate, moderate, or have little influence on the subsequent earnings distribution. The chapter is organized as follows: the second section reviews the literature on income inequality determinants, the third provides an empirical econometric analysis, and the last offers conclusions; an appendix indicates data sources and discusses data reliability.Less
Discusses the fact that although income distribution and the distribution of educational attainments are obviously related, the sign of the relationship between educational achievements and income inequality cannot be predicted a priori . For this reason, the chapter investigates the empirical determinants of aggregate income inequality and, more specifically, the relative contribution of education to measured income inequality. Checchi considers this to be crucial for two reasons: first, from a theoretical point of view, it is important to understand the plausibility of studying intergenerational equilibria under stationary distributions of income and human capital in the population; second, from a policy point of view, it is important to understand whether urging countries (or people) to increase their educational achievements is going to exacerbate, moderate, or have little influence on the subsequent earnings distribution. The chapter is organized as follows: the second section reviews the literature on income inequality determinants, the third provides an empirical econometric analysis, and the last offers conclusions; an appendix indicates data sources and discusses data reliability.
Lane Kenworthy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199550593
- eISBN:
- 9780191720727
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199550593.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Economy
Tax rates and tax structures differ markedly across the rich countries, and play a key role in reducing inequality but may also reduce employment. This chapter addresses the following questions: do ...
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Tax rates and tax structures differ markedly across the rich countries, and play a key role in reducing inequality but may also reduce employment. This chapter addresses the following questions: do taxes reduce inequality directly, or do they contribute to redistribution chiefly by providing the revenue for transfers? To what extent does globalization constrain governments' ability to maintain large and progressive tax systems? Have countries been moving toward more or less redistributive types of taxation? Do taxes in fact impede employment? The chapter argues that a tax policy conducive to low income inequality and high employment should have four principal features: taxes should generate a high level of revenues, in order to finance generous transfers and services; the tax system should be progressive, or at worst minimally regressive; payroll and consumption taxes should be moderate, so as not to impede employment growth in low-end services; and to encourage investment and entreneurship and prevent capital flight, there should be a relatively low statutory rate and a not-too-high effective tax rate on capital.Less
Tax rates and tax structures differ markedly across the rich countries, and play a key role in reducing inequality but may also reduce employment. This chapter addresses the following questions: do taxes reduce inequality directly, or do they contribute to redistribution chiefly by providing the revenue for transfers? To what extent does globalization constrain governments' ability to maintain large and progressive tax systems? Have countries been moving toward more or less redistributive types of taxation? Do taxes in fact impede employment? The chapter argues that a tax policy conducive to low income inequality and high employment should have four principal features: taxes should generate a high level of revenues, in order to finance generous transfers and services; the tax system should be progressive, or at worst minimally regressive; payroll and consumption taxes should be moderate, so as not to impede employment growth in low-end services; and to encourage investment and entreneurship and prevent capital flight, there should be a relatively low statutory rate and a not-too-high effective tax rate on capital.
Michael Carter
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199271412
- eISBN:
- 9780191601255
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199271410.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Addresses the question of whether agrarian structure (land ownership inequality) can explain increasing income inequality. The second section begins the chapter with a conventional income inequality ...
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Addresses the question of whether agrarian structure (land ownership inequality) can explain increasing income inequality. The second section begins the chapter with a conventional income inequality accounting or Gini decomposition framework, which, among other things, provides a convenient vehicle to review the economic theory of the inverted‐U, the assumptions under which it could be expected to hold, and, by implication, the likely reasons for its failure to hold in the contemporary world. This framework also makes it clear that the direct explanatory power of land ownership inequality on income inequality should diminish with the reduction in the share of national income generated in the agricultural sector, and should thus be diminishing rapidly over time in those countries of Asia and Latin America where the weight of the agricultural sector in the overall economy has fallen off dramatically. The third section develops an econometric approach for answering this empirical question, in which flexible estimation methods based on random coefficients or mixed effects models are employed to test for the effect of agrarian structure on income inequality. The last section summarizes the chapter by considering the implications for policy both inside and outside the agricultural sector.Less
Addresses the question of whether agrarian structure (land ownership inequality) can explain increasing income inequality. The second section begins the chapter with a conventional income inequality accounting or Gini decomposition framework, which, among other things, provides a convenient vehicle to review the economic theory of the inverted‐U, the assumptions under which it could be expected to hold, and, by implication, the likely reasons for its failure to hold in the contemporary world. This framework also makes it clear that the direct explanatory power of land ownership inequality on income inequality should diminish with the reduction in the share of national income generated in the agricultural sector, and should thus be diminishing rapidly over time in those countries of Asia and Latin America where the weight of the agricultural sector in the overall economy has fallen off dramatically. The third section develops an econometric approach for answering this empirical question, in which flexible estimation methods based on random coefficients or mixed effects models are employed to test for the effect of agrarian structure on income inequality. The last section summarizes the chapter by considering the implications for policy both inside and outside the agricultural sector.
John Knight
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199698691
- eISBN:
- 9780191739118
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199698691.003.0010
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, South and East Asia, Financial Economics
Income inequality rose rapidly over the period of economic reform. This chapter examines the extent to which this rise was due to economic growth and the policies that generated growth. Section 10.2 ...
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Income inequality rose rapidly over the period of economic reform. This chapter examines the extent to which this rise was due to economic growth and the policies that generated growth. Section 10.2 examines the extent to which the inequality of income has risen. Section 10.3 analyses the rising inequality of wealth. Section 10.4 asks how the rise in income inequality affects poverty alleviation. The main components of rising inequality are explored by focusing on urban inequality (Section 10.5), rural inequality (Section 10.6), and spatial inequality (Section 10.7). This leads on in Section 10.8 to an examination of some policy issues. Section 10.9 concludes.Less
Income inequality rose rapidly over the period of economic reform. This chapter examines the extent to which this rise was due to economic growth and the policies that generated growth. Section 10.2 examines the extent to which the inequality of income has risen. Section 10.3 analyses the rising inequality of wealth. Section 10.4 asks how the rise in income inequality affects poverty alleviation. The main components of rising inequality are explored by focusing on urban inequality (Section 10.5), rural inequality (Section 10.6), and spatial inequality (Section 10.7). This leads on in Section 10.8 to an examination of some policy issues. Section 10.9 concludes.
Giovanni Andrea Cornia
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199271412
- eISBN:
- 9780191601255
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199271410.003.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Starts by setting the research presented in the book in historical context, and discusses its rationale and purpose. Describes the research methodology adopted and the objectives of the study, which ...
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Starts by setting the research presented in the book in historical context, and discusses its rationale and purpose. Describes the research methodology adopted and the objectives of the study, which are two: to document and analyse the recent changes in within‐country income inequality against the background of changes occurring in this area in the two preceding decades; and to identify the causes of the changes in income inequality recorded during the period under observation. Next, the main findings of the study are summarized, presented as six main conclusions: a fall in inequality during the golden age (the first 30 years after the Second World War) is followed by a rise over the last two decades (the 1980s and 1990s); sources of inequality change; impact of the observed inequality changes on poverty and growth; the contribution of structural factors to the recent surge in inequality; recent factors influencing the distribution of income–skilled‐biased technical change; and recent factors influencing the distribution of income—policies towards stabilization, liberalization, and globalization. The last section of the chapter discusses questions either unanswered or only partially answered in the book.Less
Starts by setting the research presented in the book in historical context, and discusses its rationale and purpose. Describes the research methodology adopted and the objectives of the study, which are two: to document and analyse the recent changes in within‐country income inequality against the background of changes occurring in this area in the two preceding decades; and to identify the causes of the changes in income inequality recorded during the period under observation. Next, the main findings of the study are summarized, presented as six main conclusions: a fall in inequality during the golden age (the first 30 years after the Second World War) is followed by a rise over the last two decades (the 1980s and 1990s); sources of inequality change; impact of the observed inequality changes on poverty and growth; the contribution of structural factors to the recent surge in inequality; recent factors influencing the distribution of income–skilled‐biased technical change; and recent factors influencing the distribution of income—policies towards stabilization, liberalization, and globalization. The last section of the chapter discusses questions either unanswered or only partially answered in the book.
Giovanni Andrea Cornia, Tony Addison, and Sampsa Kiiski
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199271412
- eISBN:
- 9780191601255
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199271410.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Analyses the trends in within‐country inequality during the post‐Second World War period, with particular attention to the last 20 years, on the basis of a review of the relevant literature and of an ...
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Analyses the trends in within‐country inequality during the post‐Second World War period, with particular attention to the last 20 years, on the basis of a review of the relevant literature and of an econometric analysis of inequality trends in 73 countries accounting for 80% of the world's population and 91% of world gross domestic product–purchasing power parities (GDP–PPP). Suggests that the last two decades (the 1980s and 1990s) have been characterized by a surge in within‐country inequality in about two‐thirds of the developing, developed, and transitional nations analysed. Also suggests that in those countries where the upsurge in inequality was sizeable or where inequality rose from already high levels, growth, and poverty alleviation slowed down perceptibly. While this trend towards higher inequality differs substantially across countries in its extent, timing, and specific causes, it marks a clear departure from that observed during the first 30 years of the post‐Second Word War period during which, with the exception of Latin America and parts of sub‐Saharan Africa, a widespread move towards greater egalitarianism was noted in most of the socialist, developing, and industrialized economies.Less
Analyses the trends in within‐country inequality during the post‐Second World War period, with particular attention to the last 20 years, on the basis of a review of the relevant literature and of an econometric analysis of inequality trends in 73 countries accounting for 80% of the world's population and 91% of world gross domestic product–purchasing power parities (GDP–PPP). Suggests that the last two decades (the 1980s and 1990s) have been characterized by a surge in within‐country inequality in about two‐thirds of the developing, developed, and transitional nations analysed. Also suggests that in those countries where the upsurge in inequality was sizeable or where inequality rose from already high levels, growth, and poverty alleviation slowed down perceptibly. While this trend towards higher inequality differs substantially across countries in its extent, timing, and specific causes, it marks a clear departure from that observed during the first 30 years of the post‐Second Word War period during which, with the exception of Latin America and parts of sub‐Saharan Africa, a widespread move towards greater egalitarianism was noted in most of the socialist, developing, and industrialized economies.
Robert Eastwood and Michael Lipton
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199271412
- eISBN:
- 9780191601255
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199271410.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Explores recent trends in developing and transitional economies in rural–urban, rural, and urban inequality of income and poverty risk, and the offsetting trends in inequality hypothesis (OTI), which ...
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Explores recent trends in developing and transitional economies in rural–urban, rural, and urban inequality of income and poverty risk, and the offsetting trends in inequality hypothesis (OTI), which claims that, underlying the overall inequality trend, there has been a tendency for rising intrasectoral inequality to be offset by falling rural–urban inequality. The data reviewed in the chapter refute OTI with the possible, partial exception of Latin America: first, the data show no overall tendency for within‐country rural–urban inequality to increase or decrease since the 1980s; second, while modest national and regional tendencies exist, they do not, on the whole, offset trends in overall inequality. Urban–rural ratios of both mean consumption and poverty risk have commonly either risen or fallen alongside total inequality, or even been trendless. Changing urban–rural ratios of poverty or per‐person consumption need not imply changing urban bias; they may be caused by exogenous changes in relative returns to urban activities, plus entry or exit barriers, although rural‐urban inequality trends in ‘human development’ indicators (literacy, longevity, etc.) do suggest rising urban bias. The chapter is arranged in three sections: Introduction and Summary; Rural–Urban and Intrasectoral Contributions to Changes in the Overall Inequality of Consumption or Income—an econometric analysis; and Changing Rural–Urban Poverty Ratios and ‘Urban Bias’.Less
Explores recent trends in developing and transitional economies in rural–urban, rural, and urban inequality of income and poverty risk, and the offsetting trends in inequality hypothesis (OTI), which claims that, underlying the overall inequality trend, there has been a tendency for rising intrasectoral inequality to be offset by falling rural–urban inequality. The data reviewed in the chapter refute OTI with the possible, partial exception of Latin America: first, the data show no overall tendency for within‐country rural–urban inequality to increase or decrease since the 1980s; second, while modest national and regional tendencies exist, they do not, on the whole, offset trends in overall inequality. Urban–rural ratios of both mean consumption and poverty risk have commonly either risen or fallen alongside total inequality, or even been trendless. Changing urban–rural ratios of poverty or per‐person consumption need not imply changing urban bias; they may be caused by exogenous changes in relative returns to urban activities, plus entry or exit barriers, although rural‐urban inequality trends in ‘human development’ indicators (literacy, longevity, etc.) do suggest rising urban bias. The chapter is arranged in three sections: Introduction and Summary; Rural–Urban and Intrasectoral Contributions to Changes in the Overall Inequality of Consumption or Income—an econometric analysis; and Changing Rural–Urban Poverty Ratios and ‘Urban Bias’.
Bernard Van Praag
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199226146
- eISBN:
- 9780191718595
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199226146.003.0013
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Behavioural Economics
This chapter presents a concept of subjective income inequality based on an extension of the objective income concept. Income satisfaction inequality differs from established measures of inequality ...
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This chapter presents a concept of subjective income inequality based on an extension of the objective income concept. Income satisfaction inequality differs from established measures of inequality using individual perceptions as the basis for making incomes comparable. Traditional measures of inequality introduce subjectivism via intuition by, for instance, imposing OECD-family equivalence scales or by choosing a specific welfare function specification. The introduction of income satisfaction does not imply that the objective measurement should be replaced by subjective concepts, but only that both the objective and subjective approach are complementary to each other.Less
This chapter presents a concept of subjective income inequality based on an extension of the objective income concept. Income satisfaction inequality differs from established measures of inequality using individual perceptions as the basis for making incomes comparable. Traditional measures of inequality introduce subjectivism via intuition by, for instance, imposing OECD-family equivalence scales or by choosing a specific welfare function specification. The introduction of income satisfaction does not imply that the objective measurement should be replaced by subjective concepts, but only that both the objective and subjective approach are complementary to each other.
Ravi Kanbur and Anthony J. Venables
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199278633
- eISBN:
- 9780191602191
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199278636.003.0013
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The authors report levels of income inequality and poverty in four Central and Eastern European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. Unlike many previous studies that examine ...
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The authors report levels of income inequality and poverty in four Central and Eastern European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. Unlike many previous studies that examine transition economies, they aggregate the detailed individual-level income surveys made available through the efforts of the Luxembourg Income Study at the regional level of analysis. Although national-level investigations have contributed much to our understanding of the income distribution dynamics, these studies mask intracountry variance in levels of income inequality and thus may not capture the true distribution of household income and accurately reflect individual well-being. Accordingly, the authors compute summary measures of inequality and relative poverty rates, using both local and national relative poverty lines, for the most recent waves of data available.Less
The authors report levels of income inequality and poverty in four Central and Eastern European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. Unlike many previous studies that examine transition economies, they aggregate the detailed individual-level income surveys made available through the efforts of the Luxembourg Income Study at the regional level of analysis. Although national-level investigations have contributed much to our understanding of the income distribution dynamics, these studies mask intracountry variance in levels of income inequality and thus may not capture the true distribution of household income and accurately reflect individual well-being. Accordingly, the authors compute summary measures of inequality and relative poverty rates, using both local and national relative poverty lines, for the most recent waves of data available.
Isra Sarntisart
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199271412
- eISBN:
- 9780191601255
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199271410.003.0016
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This is the last of five country case studies on income inequality, and looks at the case of Thailand. Following on from a number of other studies, the study attempts to re‐examine the relationships ...
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This is the last of five country case studies on income inequality, and looks at the case of Thailand. Following on from a number of other studies, the study attempts to re‐examine the relationships between economic growth, structural change, and income inequality in Thailand. After an introduction, the second section, Economic Growth and Structural Change, provides a broad picture of the Thai economy, and the third, Trends in Income Inequality, reviews studies on the changes in income inequality from the 1960s through to the beginning of the 1990s. The fourth section, Factors Related to Income Distribution, examines industrialization planning, industrial protection policies, regional income disparities, and the minimum wage bill over the past four decades. The fifth section, Analysis of Income Inequality in 1988, 1992, and 1996, presents an analysis income inequality in those years according to the subgroups and source decompositions of income; the final section summarizes.Less
This is the last of five country case studies on income inequality, and looks at the case of Thailand. Following on from a number of other studies, the study attempts to re‐examine the relationships between economic growth, structural change, and income inequality in Thailand. After an introduction, the second section, Economic Growth and Structural Change, provides a broad picture of the Thai economy, and the third, Trends in Income Inequality, reviews studies on the changes in income inequality from the 1960s through to the beginning of the 1990s. The fourth section, Factors Related to Income Distribution, examines industrialization planning, industrial protection policies, regional income disparities, and the minimum wage bill over the past four decades. The fifth section, Analysis of Income Inequality in 1988, 1992, and 1996, presents an analysis income inequality in those years according to the subgroups and source decompositions of income; the final section summarizes.
John Hills
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199276646
- eISBN:
- 9780191601644
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199276641.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
Describes the distribution of income and trends in it over time. Sets out what proportions of the population have incomes at different levels, and which groups are found towards its top and bottom. ...
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Describes the distribution of income and trends in it over time. Sets out what proportions of the population have incomes at different levels, and which groups are found towards its top and bottom. Describes how income inequality has changed in recent decades, and how these trends contrast with those in other comparable countries, most of which have not experienced as sharp an increase as Britain. Also gives information about the distribution of wealth, and the way it has also become more unequally distributed in the most recent years. Finally, looks at public views of inequality in the UK, and at how these match or contrast with those in other countries.Less
Describes the distribution of income and trends in it over time. Sets out what proportions of the population have incomes at different levels, and which groups are found towards its top and bottom. Describes how income inequality has changed in recent decades, and how these trends contrast with those in other comparable countries, most of which have not experienced as sharp an increase as Britain. Also gives information about the distribution of wealth, and the way it has also become more unequally distributed in the most recent years. Finally, looks at public views of inequality in the UK, and at how these match or contrast with those in other countries.
ANDREW GLYN
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199226795
- eISBN:
- 9780191710544
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199226795.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic Systems
This chapter reviews what has happened to welfare spending and inequality in the OECD countries since 1980. A central question is whether the heightened international competition involved in ...
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This chapter reviews what has happened to welfare spending and inequality in the OECD countries since 1980. A central question is whether the heightened international competition involved in globalization is compromising the nation state's ability to fund welfare spending.Less
This chapter reviews what has happened to welfare spending and inequality in the OECD countries since 1980. A central question is whether the heightened international competition involved in globalization is compromising the nation state's ability to fund welfare spending.
Peter Lanjouw and Nicholas Stern
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198288329
- eISBN:
- 9780191596599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198288328.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Examines how the distribution of income and land has altered under the influence of demographic, technological, and occupational change. Inequality levels and trends are described. Inequality is ...
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Examines how the distribution of income and land has altered under the influence of demographic, technological, and occupational change. Inequality levels and trends are described. Inequality is decomposed by social group as well as by income source. Changes in land use are related to changes in the distribution of land owned and cultivated.Less
Examines how the distribution of income and land has altered under the influence of demographic, technological, and occupational change. Inequality levels and trends are described. Inequality is decomposed by social group as well as by income source. Changes in land use are related to changes in the distribution of land owned and cultivated.
Markus Gangl
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195376630
- eISBN:
- 9780199865499
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195376630.003.0012
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
This chapter presents a cross-national comparison of income inequality and economic mobility in the United States and eleven (Western) European Union (EU) member states. Using panel data on income ...
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This chapter presents a cross-national comparison of income inequality and economic mobility in the United States and eleven (Western) European Union (EU) member states. Using panel data on income dynamics among prime-age workers in the mid-1990s, it demonstrates that standard inequality indices show surprisingly little cross-country variation in the degree to which income mobility, the market, does erode inequality over time. That is, the neoclassical assertion about the redistributive element inherent in market competition is clearly correct insofar as markets generate mobility over time as economic opportunity gets reshuffled across individuals. Applied to the specific sample of advanced Western economies, however, the assertion that more generous welfare states would stifle economic dynamics seems largely unsupported by the data. By implication then, the redistributive effort exerted by European welfare states seems relatively well-directed in genuinely addressing market failures and ameliorating permanent economic inequality without evidence of major distortions of economic dynamics.Less
This chapter presents a cross-national comparison of income inequality and economic mobility in the United States and eleven (Western) European Union (EU) member states. Using panel data on income dynamics among prime-age workers in the mid-1990s, it demonstrates that standard inequality indices show surprisingly little cross-country variation in the degree to which income mobility, the market, does erode inequality over time. That is, the neoclassical assertion about the redistributive element inherent in market competition is clearly correct insofar as markets generate mobility over time as economic opportunity gets reshuffled across individuals. Applied to the specific sample of advanced Western economies, however, the assertion that more generous welfare states would stifle economic dynamics seems largely unsupported by the data. By implication then, the redistributive effort exerted by European welfare states seems relatively well-directed in genuinely addressing market failures and ameliorating permanent economic inequality without evidence of major distortions of economic dynamics.
Bernhard Ebbinghaus and Jörg Neugschwender
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199586028
- eISBN:
- 9780191725586
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199586028.003.0014
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
This comparative chapter by Ebbinghaus and Neugschwender discusses the institutional differences in the public–private mix, distinguishing mature from emerging multipillar systems and hybrid from ...
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This comparative chapter by Ebbinghaus and Neugschwender discusses the institutional differences in the public–private mix, distinguishing mature from emerging multipillar systems and hybrid from dominantly public pension systems. It focuses on exploring the interaction between income inequalities in working life and pension system features for old age income. In particular, it considers the first tier of minimum income support, the public and private second-tier earnings-related pensions, and the particularities of private pensions. The empirical analysis compares poverty rates over time and across countries, discussing the impact of public pensions. The further analysis reveals variations in the recipient rate and income share of private supplementary pensions among the elderly. The importance of mandatory or negotiated occupational pensions in order to reduce inequality in multipillar pension systems is evident in addition to the role of public minimum income protection for poverty reduction.Less
This comparative chapter by Ebbinghaus and Neugschwender discusses the institutional differences in the public–private mix, distinguishing mature from emerging multipillar systems and hybrid from dominantly public pension systems. It focuses on exploring the interaction between income inequalities in working life and pension system features for old age income. In particular, it considers the first tier of minimum income support, the public and private second-tier earnings-related pensions, and the particularities of private pensions. The empirical analysis compares poverty rates over time and across countries, discussing the impact of public pensions. The further analysis reveals variations in the recipient rate and income share of private supplementary pensions among the elderly. The importance of mandatory or negotiated occupational pensions in order to reduce inequality in multipillar pension systems is evident in addition to the role of public minimum income protection for poverty reduction.
Michael F. Förster and Marco Mira D’Ercole
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199860586
- eISBN:
- 9780199932948
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199860586.003.0002
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy, Children and Families
Inequalities and poverty matter in both poor and rich countries. Whereas inequality and poverty manifest themselves in a variety of dimensions, income is one of the most evident manifestations, and ...
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Inequalities and poverty matter in both poor and rich countries. Whereas inequality and poverty manifest themselves in a variety of dimensions, income is one of the most evident manifestations, and the one that better lends itself to periodic comparisons across countries and over time. Most people in OECD countries do care about income inequalities and are capable of articulating judgments on the shape of the income distribution. This chapter details the OECD's methods. The first section describes the history of research in the OECD into income distribution and poverty dating back to the mid-1970s. It also discusses some of the methodological and conceptual choices that have been made to construct more comparable indicators. The second section reviews some of the main findings from Growing Unequal?, the latest OECD study. The third section considers the limits of the OECD approach and describes some of the steps that have, or could, be undertaken to overcome those.Less
Inequalities and poverty matter in both poor and rich countries. Whereas inequality and poverty manifest themselves in a variety of dimensions, income is one of the most evident manifestations, and the one that better lends itself to periodic comparisons across countries and over time. Most people in OECD countries do care about income inequalities and are capable of articulating judgments on the shape of the income distribution. This chapter details the OECD's methods. The first section describes the history of research in the OECD into income distribution and poverty dating back to the mid-1970s. It also discusses some of the methodological and conceptual choices that have been made to construct more comparable indicators. The second section reviews some of the main findings from Growing Unequal?, the latest OECD study. The third section considers the limits of the OECD approach and describes some of the steps that have, or could, be undertaken to overcome those.
