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Accounting for changes in income inequality: decomposition analyses for Great Britain, 1968-2009

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  • Brewer, Mike
  • Wren-Lewis, Liam

Abstract

We analyse income inequality in Great Britain over the period 1968-2009 in order to understand why income inequality rose very rapidly over the period 1978-91 and then stopped rising. We find that earnings inequality has risen fairly steadily since 1978, but other factors that caused inequality to rise in 1978-91 have since reversed. Inequality in investment and pension income has fallen since 1991, as has inequality between those with and without employment. Furthermore, certain household types notably the elderly and those with young children which had relatively low incomes in 1978-91 have seen their incomes converge with others.

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File URL: https://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/publications/working-papers/iser/2012-17.pdf
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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Institute for Social and Economic Research in its series ISER Working Paper Series with number 2012-17.

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Date of creation: 29 Aug 2012
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Publication status: published
Handle: RePEc:ese:iserwp:2012-17

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Postal: Publications Office, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ UK
Phone: 44-1206-872957
Fax: 44-1206-873151
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Web page: http://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/
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Postal: Publications Office, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ UK
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Web: http://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/publications/

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References

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