This paper studies the relationship between the development of stock markets and income inequality. It shows that introducing equity financing in an economy with safe and risky sectors, where debt is initially the only financial instrument and where market imperfections generate credit rationing in the risky sector, raises both income dispersion in general and income differentials between skill groups. While the latter increase with stock market capitalization, income dispersion rises until the equity market reaches a certain size, then it declines. Equities play the twofold role of allowing some credit rationed agents to finance risky enterprises, and providing insurance through risk sharing. The degree of investor protection ultimately determines the size of the equity market and the extent of risk-sharing. By increasing the number of risky projects, better investor protection widens income dispersion. On the other hand, by improving risk sharing, it tends to reduce inequality. This tension explains the inverted-U shaped relationship between income inequality and stock market development. Empirical evidence on a panel of fifty-two countries spanning the years 1976-2000 supports the predictions of the model
Download Info
To our knowledge, this item is not available for
download. To find whether it is available, there are three
options:
1. Check below under "Related research" whether another version of this item is available online.
2. Check on the provider's web page
whether it is in fact available.
3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be
available.
Publisher Info
Paper provided by Society for Economic Dynamics in its series 2004 Meeting Papers with number
256.
Length: Date of creation: 2004 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:red:sed004:256
Contact details of provider: Postal: Society for Economic Dynamics Anne Stubing CV Starr Center for Applied Economics 269 Mercer Street, Room 303 New York University New York, NY 10003 Fax: 1-860-486-4463 Email: Web page: http://www.EconomicDynamics.org/society.htm More information through EDIRC
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Christian Zimmermann).
Bonfiglioli, Alessandra, 2005.
"Equities and Inequality,"
Seminar Papers
737, Stockholm University, Institute for International Economic Studies.
[Downloadable!]
Find related papers by JEL classification: D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy F40 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - General
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
References listed on IDEAS 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.:
Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson, 2003.
"Unbundling Institutions,"
NBER Working Papers
9934, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-de-Silane & Andrei Shleifer, 2003.
"What Works in Securities Law?,"
NBER Working Papers
9882, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
Rafael Porta & Florencio Lopez-De-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 2006.
"What Works in Securities Laws?,"
Journal of Finance,
American Finance Association, vol. 61(1), pages 1-32, 02.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-De-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 1999.
"Corporate Ownership Around the World,"
Journal of Finance,
American Finance Association, vol. 54(2), pages 471-517, 04.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
Benabou, R., 1996.
"Inequality and Growth,"
Working Papers
96-22, C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics, New York University.
[Downloadable!]
Roland Bénabou, 1996.
"Inequality and Growth,"
NBER Chapters,
in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1996, Volume 11, pages 11-92
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!]
RAFAEL LaPORTA & FLORENCIO LOPEZ-de-SILANES & ANDREI SHLEIFER & ROBERT W. VISHNY, .
"Legal Determinants of External Finance,","
CRSP working papers
324, Center for Research in Security Prices, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago.
La Porta, Rafael & Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1997.
" Legal Determinants of External Finance,"
Journal of Finance,
American Finance Association, vol. 52(3), pages 1131-50, July.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1998.
"Law and Finance,"
Journal of Political Economy,
University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(6), pages 1113-1155, December.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-de-Silane & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1996.
"Law and Finance,"
NBER Working Papers
5661, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Epifani, Paolo & Gancia, Gino, 2002.
"The Skill Bias of World Trade,"
Seminar Papers
707, Stockholm University, Institute for International Economic Studies.
[Downloadable!]
Other versions:
Paolo Epifani & Gino Gancia, 2002.
"The Skill Bias of World Trade,"
CESPRI Working Papers
129, CESPRI, Centre for Research on Innovation and Internationalisation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy, revised Mar 2001.
[Downloadable!]
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.)