Search results for "INEQUALITY"
showing 10 items of 1076 documents
The Aggregate and Distributional Effects of Financial Globalization: Evidence from Macro and Sectoral Data
2018
We take a fresh look at the aggregate and distributional effects of policies to liberalize international capital flowsâfinancial globalization. Both country- and industry-level results suggest that such policies have led on average to limited output gains while contributing to significant increases in inequalityâthat is, they pose an equityâefficiency trade-off. Behind this average lies considerable heterogeneity in effects depending on country characteristics. Liberalization increases output in countries with high financial depth and those that avoid financial crises, while distributional effects are more pronounced in countries with low financial depth and inclusion and where libera…
Financial Globalization, Fiscal Policies and the Distribution of Income
2020
This paper provides evidence that financial globalization—liberalization of the capital account—makes income distribution more uneven by raising the share of income that goes to the richest income deciles. We also offer evidence that changes in domestic fiscal policies in the aftermath of financial globalization are one channel through which these distributional effects could occur. Specifically, we show that episodes of capital account liberalization are followed by greater fiscal consolidation and reduced fiscal redistribution, both of which lead to increased inequality.
Tax compliance and wealth inequality
2019
In this work, we theoretically approach optimal taxing in a public good provision context in a society where wealth is Pareto distributed. Our main result shows that high levels of wealth inequalit...
The Rise in Inequality after Pandemics: Can Fiscal Support Play a Mitigating Role?
2021
Abstract Major epidemics of the last two decades (SARS, H1N1, MERS, Ebola, and Zika) have been followed by increases in inequality [Furceri et al. (2020), COVID Economics, 12, 138–157]. In this article, we show that the extent of fiscal consolidation in the years following the onset of these pandemics has played an important role in determining the extent of the increase in inequality. Episodes marked by extreme austerity—measured using either the government’s fiscal balance, health expenditures, or redistribution—have been associated with an increase in the Gini measure of inequality three times as large as in episodes where fiscal policy has been more supportive. We survey the evidence th…
Income Inequality and Technology Diffusion: Evidence from Developing Countries*
2011
We study the effect of within-country income inequality on the diffusion of mobile phones using data on market penetration in a sample of developing countries from 1985 to 1998. Mobile phones are an example of international technology, originating in industrialized countries and diffusing worldwide. We find that income inequality, as measured by the income share of the highest earning deciles, has a positive effect on the early diffusion of mobile phones and that the estimated effect becomes greater when a measure of agricultural endowments is used as an instrument. The instrumental variable results are robust to weak instruments. Our findings suggest that the diffusion of new technologies …
Nonlinearity in intergenerational income transmission: A cross-country analysis
2016
Abstract The aim of this paper is to explore nonlinearity in intergenerational income transmission. We use a set of occupational tables in different countries to test nonlinearity. We also empirically address how policy variables can affect nonlinearity. Our findings suggest that concavity is supported in those societies with less credit constraints, but with more poverty and income inequality; education has an increasing effect on convexity.
Depression of the deprived or eroding enthusiasm of the elites: What has shifted the support for international trade?
2020
Abstract We use the 2003 and 2013 waves of the International Survey Program (ISSP) in order to explore the change in people’s attitudes that may be behind the recent backlash against globalization. We show that the average support for international trade has decreased in many – albeit not all – countries, and we demonstrate that these changes are related to the depth and length of the global financial crisis of 2008/09 as well as the evolution of income inequality. Moreover, our results document a declining support of those individuals who are likely to benefit from international trade: the young, high-skilled and well-off. We show that this “eroding enthusiasm of the elites” is empirically…
Implementing a Negative Income Tax. Net Cost, Poverty and Inequality Effects
2019
The main aim of this paper is to propose a financially viable alternative to the current Spanish system of social protection: A Negative Income Tax (NIT) unifying in a single mechanism the system of public benefits and income tax. We analyse the main characteristics of the NIT and simulate several NIT proposals for Spain, using the Living Conditions Survey. These proposals are distinct in that they do not suppose an additional cost in the tax-benefit system. The results of our simulations indicate a radical improvement in the indicators of poverty and inequality, especially extreme poverty, and also a redistribution of income from the elderly to families with children.
Gender-specific Call of Duty: A Note on the Neglect of Conscription in Gender Equality Indices
2022
We document that existing gender equality indices do not account for gender-specific mandatory peace-time conscription (compulsory military service). This suggests that gender-specific conscription is not considered to be an important gender issue. If an indicator measuring the gender equality of mandatory conscription was to be included in gender equality indices with appropriate weight, then the relative rankings of countries in terms of measured gender equality could be affected. In the context of the Nordic countries, this would mean that Finland and Denmark – the countries with mandatory conscription for men only – would have worse scores with respect to gender equality compared to Swe…
La distribución de la renta en España en el período de crecimiento económico: 1998-2005
2021
El objetivo del trabajo es analizar la relación entre el crecimiento económico y la distribución de la renta en España entre 1998 y 2005 (crecimiento económico con escasa reducción de la desigualdad). El trabajo intenta mostrar la relación entre ambas variables económicas, así como buscar las claves que explican por qué la última larga etapa de crecimiento económico en España no se ha traducido en una clara mejoría de la distribución de la renta.