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Estimating the top tail of the wealth distribution

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  • Vermeulen, Philip

Abstract

Wealth survey data suffers simultaneously from under-representation at the top and underreporting of assets. Addressing both problems, I use the Household Finance and Consumption Survey to provide new estimates of the holdings of real assets, financial assets and liabilities and net wealth of the top one percent in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and The Netherlands. Especially for countries doing little or no oversampling of the rich, financial asset and real asset shares held by the top 1 percent are substantially higher then survey data suggests. JEL Classification: E22, E44, G01

Suggested Citation

  • Vermeulen, Philip, 2016. "Estimating the top tail of the wealth distribution," Working Paper Series 1907, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20161907
    Note: 327651
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eurosystem Household Finance and Consumption Network, 2013. "The Eurosystem Household Finance and Consumption Survey - Methodological report," Statistics Paper Series 1, European Central Bank.
    2. Andrea Neri & Maria Giovanna Ranalli, 2012. "To misreport or not to report? The measurement of household financial wealth," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 870, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    3. Arthur B. Kennickell & R. Louise Woodburn, 1999. "CONSISTENT WEIGHT DESIGN FOR THE 1989, 1992 AND 1995 SCFs, AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 45(2), pages 193-215, June.
    4. Philip Vermeulen, 2018. "How Fat is the Top Tail of the Wealth Distribution?," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 64(2), pages 357-387, June.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    HFCN; wealth;

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • K34 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Tax Law

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