The rise in inequality and poverty is one of the most important economic and social issues in recent times. But in contrast to the literature on individual earnings inequality, there has been little work modelling (as opposed to documenting) household income dynamics. This is largely because of the difficulties created by the fact that on top of the human capital issues that arise in personal earnings, individuals are continually forming, dissolving and reforming household units. This paper proposes a framework for modelling household income dynamics. It emphasizes the role of household formation and dissolution and labour market participation. It allows standard economic theory to address the issues of household, as distinct from individual, income and poverty dynamics. In this paper, we illustrate this framework with an application to poverty rates among young women in the United States. We use this model to analyse differences in poverty experiences, particularly between black and white women.
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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number
1830.
Find related papers by JEL classification: D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
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Bigsten, Arne & Shimeles, Abebe, 2004.
"Dynamics of Poverty in Ethiopia,"
Working Papers
UNU-WIDER Research Paper , World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
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