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Multidimensional Measurement of Richness: Theory and an Application to Germany

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  • Peichl, Andreas

    () (IZA)

  • Pestel, Nico

    () (IZA)

Abstract

Closely following recent innovations in the literature on the multidimensional measurement of poverty, this paper provides similar measures for the top of the distribution using a dual cutoff method to identify individuals, who can be considered as rich in a multidimensional setting. We use this framework to analyze the role of wealth, health and education, in addition to income, as dimensions of multidimensional well-being in Germany. Our analysis shows that more than half of the German population is affluent in at least one dimension and less than 1% is affluent in all four dimensions. The likelihood of being rich in all dimensions is highest for prime-aged males from the West who live in couple households without children. Mobility between different affluence counts between 2002 and 2007 is rather low and existing changes are mostly driven by health and to a lesser extent by wealth.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 4825.

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Length: 40 pages
Date of creation: Mar 2010
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4825

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Keywords: mobility; multidimensional measurement; affluence; elites;

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References

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Cited by:
  1. Nuno Crespo & Sandrina B. Moreira & Nádia Simões, 2012. "An Integrated Approach for the Measurement of Inequality, Poverty and Richness," Working Papers Series 2 12-03, ISCTE-IUL, Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL).
  2. Peichl, Andreas & Pestel, Nico, 2011. "Multidimensional Well-Being at the Top: Evidence for Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 6170, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).

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