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A Comparison of Inequality and Living Standards in Canada and the United States Using an Expanded Measure of Economic Well-Being

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Listed:
  • Edward N. Wolff
  • Ajit Zacharias
  • Thomas Masterson
  • Selçuk Eren
  • Andrew Sharpe
  • Elspeth Hazell

Abstract

We use the Levy Institute Measure of Economic Well-being (LIMEW), the most comprehensive income measure available to date, to compare economic well-being in Canada and the United States in the first decade of the 21st century. This study represents the first international comparison based on LIMEW, which differs from the standard measure of gross money income (MI) in that it includes noncash government transfers, public consumption, income from wealth, and household production, and nets out all personal taxes. We find that, relative to the United States, median equivalent LIMEW was 11 percent lower in Canada in 2000. By 2005, this gap had narrowed to 7 percent, while the difference in median equivalent MI was only 3 percent. Inequality was notably lower in Canada, with a Gini coefficient of 0.285 for equivalent LIMEW in 2005, compared to a US coefficient of 0.376—a gap that primarily reflects the greater importance of income from wealth in the States. However, the difference in Gini coefficients declined between 2000 and 2005. We also find that the elderly were better off relative to the nonelderly in the United States, but that high school graduates did better relative to college graduates in Canada.

Suggested Citation

  • Edward N. Wolff & Ajit Zacharias & Thomas Masterson & Selçuk Eren & Andrew Sharpe & Elspeth Hazell, 2012. "A Comparison of Inequality and Living Standards in Canada and the United States Using an Expanded Measure of Economic Well-Being," CSLS Research Reports 2012-01, Centre for the Study of Living Standards.
    • Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1201
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    1. “A Comparison of Inequality and Living Standards in Canada and the United States Using an Expanded Measure of Economic Well-Being”
      by maximorossi in NEP-LTV blog on 2012-01-23 00:29:57
    2. “A Comparison of Inequality and Living Standards in Canada and the United States Using an Expanded Measure of Economic Well-Being”
      by maximorossi in NEP-LTV blog on 2012-01-23 00:29:57

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    Cited by:

    1. Chiara Elena Dalla & Menon Martina & Perali Federico, 2019. "An Integrated Database to Measure Living Standards," Journal of Official Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 35(3), pages 531-576, September.
    2. Paul J.J. Welfens, 2019. "Council of Economic Advisers: Biased Per Capita Consumption Comparison of the US with Europe," EIIW Discussion paper disbei257, Universitätsbibliothek Wuppertal, University Library.
    3. Dennis Fixler & David S. Johnson, 2014. "Accounting for the Distribution of Income in the U.S. National Accounts," NBER Chapters, in: Measuring Economic Sustainability and Progress, pages 213-244, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Jurgen Faik & Uwe Fachinger, 2013. "The decomposition of well-being categories: An application to Germany," Working Papers 307, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Well-Being; Living Standards; Inequality; Income; International Comparisons;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • P17 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Performance and Prospects

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