Search results for "economic inequality"
showing 10 items of 58 documents
National level wealth inequality and socioeconomic inequality in adolescent mental wellbeing
2020
Abstract Background Previous research established a positive association between national income inequality and socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health, but little is known about the extent to which national level inequalities in accumulated financial resources (i.e. wealth) are associated with these health inequalities. Therefore, we examined the association between national wealth inequality and income inequality and socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent mental wellbeing. Methods Data were from 17 countries participating in three successive waves (2010, 2014 and 2018) of the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. We combined individual-level data…
Do we value mobility?
2015
Is there a trade-off between people's preference for income equality and income mobility? Testing for the existence of such a trade-off is difficult because mobility is a multifaceted concept. We analyse results from a questionnaire experiment based on simple precise concepts of income inequality and income mobility. We fnd no direct trade-off in preference between mobility and equality, but an indirect trade-off, applying when more income mobility can only be obtained at the expense of some income inequality. Mobility preference - but not equality preference - appears to be driven by personal experience of mobility.
Inflation shocks and income inequality
2019
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of inflationary shocks on inequality, using data of selected countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Design/methodology/approach Inflationary shocks were measured as deviations from core inflation, based on a genetic algorithm. Bayesian quantile regression was used to estimate the impact of inflationary shocks in different levels of inequality. Findings The results showed that inflationary shocks substantially affect countries with higher levels of inequality, thus suggesting that the detrimental impact of inflation is exacerbated by the high division of classes in a country. Originality/value The study contributes t…
The grain market, short-term credit, and economic inequality in the Kingdom of Valencia. The towns of Cocentaina, and Castellón in the Fifteenth-Cent…
2018
Despite the predominance of small peasant farms in the Valencian countryside in the Late Middle Ages, large sections of the peasantry were forced to turn to the market to obtain cereals for consumption and sowing. Insufficient land and lack of liquidity caused by the seasonal cycle of crops made it necessary to use short-term credit, which was recorded in the court of local justice in the legal form of “obligacions”. The aim of this paper is to analyse the economic role of this credit market, identifying varieties of commercialised cereals, seasonality of purchases and payments, price trends and the socio-professional background of buyers (debtors) and sellers (creditors). Thus, we study ho…
Income inequality and famine mortality: Evidence from the Finnish famine of the 1860s
2021
This article examines whether economic inequality intensified the adverse effects of harvest, price, and income shocks during a famine. Using a parish-level longitudinal dataset from the Finnish famine of the 1860s, it shows that a substantial proportion of the excess mortality experienced during the famine resulted from a decline in agricultural production, a decline in incomes, and a surge in food prices. The findings indicate that the adverse effects of food output fluctuations were intensified by increasing income inequality and decreasing average income, while the market-transmitted shocks were weakened by a contraction of disposable income. The results are corroborated with multiple a…
Latvia: Both Sides of the Economic Recovery Success Story
2016
Latvian social policy is close to the neoliberal model of the welfare state based on macroeconomic indicators of low welfare state spending, high income inequality, low minimum wage and low degree of decommodification. Latvia was among the first countries to be stung by the crisis in 2008. Key words became: austerity, fiscal consolidation and structural adjustment measures. A minimum social safety network was introduced to improve targeted social support. Funding from the European Social Fund was instrumental in mitigating unemployment, facilitating a large temporary works programme. Latvia joined the Euro zone in 2014 and is quite successfully returning loans. Such is one side of the succe…
Can stability of foreign aid agreement reduce global income inequality?
2017
Abstract Global initiatives on debt relief call for increasing foreign aid assistance to alleviate income inequality. But the potential gains from foreign aid policy coordination may be limited by the willing participation of diverse and self-interested donor countries. If stability of the foreign aid agreement does not occur, then aid effectiveness fails. Thus, the aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of the stability of foreign aid agreement on income redistribution amongst countries. The findings show that stability has positive effects on income mobility from the rich to the poorest countries reducing global income inequality.
Regional income inequality in France 1860–1954: Methods and findings
2019
This paper explores regional (departement or NUTS3) income inequality in France between 1860 and 1954. To this end we first document the existing evidence, evaluate the estimation methods and findi...
The effects of monetary policy on income and wealth inequality in the U.S. Exploring different channels
2020
We assess the effects of monetary policy shocks on income and wealth inequality through direct inequality measures and by analyzing several transmission channels explored in recent literature. Furthermore, we analyze two additional channels: the Housing and the Fiscal channels. The methodology adopted is a Bayesian proxy SVAR using a high-frequency identification based on the external instruments approach. Our own policy shocks are constructed for this purpose. The results show that an expansionary monetary policy shock does not have a significant effect on income inequality due to the existence of opposite channels, whereas it increases wealth inequality mainly through the portfolio channe…
National-Level Wealth Inequality and Socioeconomic Inequality in Adolescent Mental Well-Being: A Time Series Analysis of 17 Countries
2020
Purpose: Although previous research has established a positive association between national income inequality and socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health, very little is known about the extent to which national-level wealth inequalities (i.e., accumulated financial resources) are associated with these inequalities in health. Therefore, this study examined the association between national wealth inequality and income inequality and socioeconomic inequality in adolescents' mental well-being at the aggregated level. Methods: Data were from 17 countries participating in three consecutive waves (2010, 2014, and 2018) of the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. …