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What's Behind the Inequality we Measure: An Investigation Using Latin American Data

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Author Info
Miguel Székely
Marianne Hilgert
Abstract

The use of income distribution indicators in the economics literature has increased considerably in recent years. This work relies on household surveys from 18 LAC countries to take a step back from the use of these indicators, and explore what`s behind the numbers, and what information they convey. We find: a) that the way countries rank according to inequality measured in a conventional way is to a large extent an illusion created by differences in characteristics of the data and on the particular ways in which the data is treated; b) Our ideas about the effect of inequality on economic growth are also driven by quality and coverage differences in household surveys and by the way in which the data is treated; c) Standard household surveys in LAC are unable to capture the incomes of the richest sectors of society; so, the inequality we are able to measure is most likely a gross underestimation. Our main conclusion is that there is an important story behind each number. This story influences our judgement about how unequal countries are and about the relation between inequality and other development indicators, but it is seldom told or known. Perhaps other statistics commonly used in economics also have their own interesting story, and it might be worth trying to find out what it is.

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Paper provided by Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department in its series RES Working Papers with number 4188.

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Date of creation: Dec 1999
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Handle: RePEc:idb:wpaper:4188

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Anthony B. Atkinson & Andrea Brandolini, 2000. "Promise and Pitfalls in the Use of 'Secondary' Data-Sets: Income Inequality in OECD Countries," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 379, Bank of Italy, Economic Research Department. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Atkinson,A.B. & Rainwater,L. & Smeeding,T., 1995. "Income Distribution in European Countries," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 9535, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
  3. Deininger, K & Squire, L, 1996. "Measuring Income Inequality : A New Data-Base," Papers 537, Harvard - Institute for International Development.
  4. Philippe Aghion & Eve Caroli & Cecilia Garcia-Penalosa, 1999. "Inequality and Economic Growth: The Perspective of the New Growth Theories," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 1615-1660, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  5. Ravallion, Martin, 1998. "Does aggregation hide the harmful effects of inequality on growth?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 73-77, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Atkinson, A B, 1997. "Bringing Income Distribution in from the Cold," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 107(441), pages 297-321, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Alesina, Alberto & Perotti, Roberto, 1996. "Income distribution, political instability, and investment," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 1203-1228, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Lanjouw, Peter & Ravallion, Martin, 1995. "Poverty and Household Size," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 105(433), pages 1415-34, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. R. D. Plotnick & E. Smolensky & E. Evenhouse & S. Reilly, . "The Twentieth Century Record of Inequality and Poverty in the United States," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1166-98, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty. [Downloadable!]
  10. Perotti, Roberto, 1996. " Growth, Income Distribution, and Democracy: What the Data Say," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 149-87, June.
  11. Ravallion, Martin & Chen, Shaohua, 1997. "What Can New Survey Data Tell Us about Recent Changes in Distribution and Poverty?," World Bank Economic Review, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(2), pages 357-82, May.
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  12. Cowell, Frank A & Victoria-Feser, Maria-Pia, 1996. "Robustness Properties of Inequality Measures," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(1), pages 77-101, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Spilimbergo, Antonio & Londono, Juan Luis & Szekely, Miguel, 1999. "Income distribution, factor endowments, and trade openness," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 77-101, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. Shorrocks, A F, 1982. "Inequality Decomposition by Factor Components," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(1), pages 193-211, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Facundo Alvaredo, 2007. "The Rich in Argentina over the twentieth century: From the Conservative Republic to the Peronist experience and beyond 1932-2004," PSE Working Papers 2007-02, PSE (Ecole normale supérieure). [Downloadable!]
  2. Andrés Solimano & Arístides Torche, 2008. "Income Distribution In Chile, 1987-2006: Analysis And Policy Considerations," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 480, Central Bank of Chile. [Downloadable!]
  3. Laura de Dominicis & Henri L.F. de Groot & Raymond J.G.M. Florax, 2006. "Growth and Inequality: A Meta-Analysis," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 06-064/3, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
  4. Leonardo Gasparini & Matías Horenstein & Sergio Olivieri, 2006. "Economic Polarisation in Latin America and the Caribbean: What do Household Surveys Tell Us?," Working Papers 0038, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. [Downloadable!]
  5. Miguel Székely & Marianne Hilgert, 1999. "Los años 90 en América Latina: otra década de pertinaz desigualdad," RES Working Papers 4191, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
  6. repec:dia:wpaper:dt200413 is not listed on IDEAS
  7. Miguel Székely & Marianne Hilgert, 1999. "The 1990s in Latin America: Another Decade of Persistent Inequality," RES Working Papers 4190, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
  8. Leonardo Gasparini, 2003. "Income Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean: Evidence from Household Surveys," Working Papers 0002, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. [Downloadable!]
  9. Timothy M. Smeeding, 2002. "Globalization, Inequality, and the Rich Countries of the G-20: Evidence from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS)," Center for Policy Research Working Papers 48, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University. [Downloadable!]
  10. Pinelopi K. Goldberg & Nina Pavcnik, 2004. "Trade, Inequality, and Poverty: What Do We Know? Evidence from Recent Trade Liberalization Episodes in Developing Countries," NBER Working Papers 10593, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Morley, Samuel A., 2001. "Distribution and growth in Latin America in an era of structural reform," TMD discussion papers 66, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
  12. Christopher Cramer, 2003. "Does inequality cause conflict?," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(4), pages 397-412. [Downloadable!]
  13. Branko milanovic, 2003. "True world income distribution, 1988 and 1993: First calculation based on household surveys alo," HEW 0305002, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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