IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/snbeco/v1y2021i7d10.1007_s43546-021-00094-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A consistency check of the World Income Inequality Database in favour of common readers

Author

Listed:
  • Amlan Majumder

    (University of North Bengal)

  • Takayoshi Kusago

    (Kansai University)

Abstract

The World Income Inequality Database (WIID) is widely used by common readers of economic inequality. It reports, among other, information on Gini coefficient computed from micro-data and corresponding decile and quintile income or consumption distributions. As a part of common practice, a reader may look at a reported Gini and visually examine the corresponding grouped distributions. The precise objective of this paper is to examine whether such a practice of linking of Gini coefficient based on micro-data and the corresponding grouped income distributions is always feasible. A reported Gini may not always correspond to the displayed grouped distribution, as it should be. In the quest of performing a consistency check, if Gini coefficient is computed from the grouped distributions, one may end up finding some non-negligible number of absurd figures, which cannot be explained by our common understanding of the existing literature. One needs to identify and filter out such unusual cases from the dataset to make it useable throughout. As grouping of micro-data into deciles or quintiles involves some sort of shortfall comprising of underestimation and downward bias in Gini coefficient, and as probable magnitude of these can be set, such information may be used to filter out the cases with discrepancies. After a thorough analysis of four different versions of WIID, it is found that nearly 6–11% cases are unusual relating to quintile and decile datasets, respectively in WIID of 6 May 2020 with a gradual improvement of data quality from WIID 3.4 of 2017.

Suggested Citation

  • Amlan Majumder & Takayoshi Kusago, 2021. "A consistency check of the World Income Inequality Database in favour of common readers," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(7), pages 1-17, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:snbeco:v:1:y:2021:i:7:d:10.1007_s43546-021-00094-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s43546-021-00094-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43546-021-00094-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s43546-021-00094-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Francisco G. Ferreira & Nora Lustig & Daniel Teles, 2015. "Appraising cross-national income inequality databases: An introduction," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 13(4), pages 497-526, December.
    2. Tom Van Ourti & Philip Clarke, 2011. "A Simple Correction to Remove the Bias of the Gini Coefficient due to Grouping," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 93(3), pages 982-994, August.
    3. Stephen Jenkins, 2015. "World income inequality databases: an assessment of WIID and SWIID," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 13(4), pages 629-671, December.
    4. Frederick Solt, 2020. "Measuring Income Inequality Across Countries and Over Time: The Standardized World Income Inequality Database," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(3), pages 1183-1199, May.
    5. John Carter, 2007. "An Empirical Note on Economic Freedom and Income Inequality," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 163-177, January.
    6. Lars Osberg, 2017. "On the Limitations of Some Current Usages of the Gini Index," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 63(3), pages 574-584, September.
    7. Branko Milanovic, 2012. "Global inequality recalculated and updated: the effect of new PPP estimates on global inequality and 2005 estimates," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, March.
    8. Frederick Solt, 2009. "Standardizing the World Income Inequality Database," LIS Working papers 496, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    9. Roberta Torre & Mikko Myrskylä, 2014. "Income inequality and population health: An analysis of panel data for 21 developed countries, 1975-2006," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 68(1), pages 1-13, March.
    10. Amlan Majumder & Takayoshi Kusago, 2018. "A note on the use of decile or quintile group-share of income or consumption from the popular income inequality databases to explain inequality conditions," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 38(4), pages 2152-2166.
    11. Andreas Bergh & Günther Fink, 2008. "Higher Education Policy, Enrollment, and Income Inequality," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 89(1), pages 217-235, March.
    12. Frederick Solt, 2009. "Standardizing the World Income Inequality Database," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 90(2), pages 231-242, June.
    13. Lerman, Robert I. & Yitzhaki, Shlomo, 1989. "Improving the accuracy of estimates of Gini coefficients," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 43-47, September.
    14. Andrea Brandolini & Anthony B. Atkinson, 2001. "Promise and Pitfalls in the Use of "Secondary" Data-Sets: Income Inequality in OECD Countries As a Case Study," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 39(3), pages 771-799, September.
    15. Davies, J. B. & Shorrocks, A. F., 1989. "Optimal grouping of income and wealth data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 97-108, September.
    16. Frederick Solt, 2016. "The Standardized World Income Inequality Database," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 97(5), pages 1267-1281, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Florian Dorn, 2016. "On Data and Trends in Income Inequality around the World," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 14(4), pages 54-64, December.
    2. Florian Dorn, 2016. "On Data and Trends in Income Inequality around the World," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 14(04), pages 54-64, December.
    3. repec:ces:ifodic:v:14:y:2016:i:4:p:19267790 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Bartak, Jakub & Jabłoński, Łukasz & Tomkiewicz, Jacek, 2022. "Does income inequality explain public debt change in OECD countries?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 211-224.
    5. Kammas, Pantelis & Sarantides, Vassilis, 2019. "Do dictatorships redistribute more?," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 176-195.
    6. Vanesa Jorda & Jose M. Alonso, 2020. "What works to mitigate and reduce relative (and absolute) inequality?: A systematic review," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-152, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Chletsos Michael & Roupakias Stelios, 2020. "The effect of military spending on income inequality: evidence from NATO countries," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1305-1337, March.
    8. Erauskin, Iñaki & Turnovsky, Stephen J., 2022. "International financial integration, the level of development, and income inequality: Some empirical evidence," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 48-64.
    9. Andreas Bergh & Irina Mirkina & Therese Nilsson, 2020. "Can social spending cushion the inequality effect of globalization?," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 104-142, March.
    10. Cevik, Serhan & Jalles, João Tovar, 2023. "For whom the bell tolls: Climate change and income inequality," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    11. Lidia Ceriani & Simona Scabrosetti & Francesco Scervini, 2022. "Inequality, Privatization and Democratic Institutions in Developing Countries," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 240(1), pages 95-124, March.
    12. Nora Lustig, 2018. "Measuring the Distribution of Household Income, Consumption and Wealth: State of Play and Measurement Challenges," Working Papers 1801, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    13. Mohammad Reza Farzanegan & Mohammad Ali Kadivar, 2023. "The effect of Islamic revolution and war on income inequality in Iran," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 65(2), pages 1007-1026, August.
    14. Gründler, Klaus & Köllner, Sebastian, 2020. "Culture, diversity, and the welfare state," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 913-932.
    15. Gründler, Klaus & Scheuermeyer, Philipp, 2018. "Growth effects of inequality and redistribution: What are the transmission channels?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 293-313.
    16. Vu, Trung V., 2021. "Statehood experience and income inequality: A historical perspective," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 415-429.
    17. Khan, Haris & Shehzad, Choudhry Tanveer & Ahmad, Ferhana, 2021. "Temporal effects of financial globalization on income inequality," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 452-467.
    18. Rémi Bazillier & Jérôme Héricourt & Samuel Ligonnière, 2017. "Structure of Income Inequality and Household Leverage: Theory and Cross-Country Evidence," Working Papers 2017-01, CEPII research center.
    19. Muinelo-Gallo, Leonel, 2022. "Business cycles and redistribution: The role of government quality," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 46(4).
    20. Herzer, Dierk & Nunnenkamp, Peter, 2015. "Income inequality and health: Evidence from developed and developing countries," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 9, pages 1-56.
    21. Bofinger, Peter & Scheuermeyer, Philipp, 2016. "Income Distribution and Aggregate Saving: A Non-Monotonic Relationship," CEPR Discussion Papers 11435, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:snbeco:v:1:y:2021:i:7:d:10.1007_s43546-021-00094-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.