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Geographic decomposition of inequality in health and wealth: evidence from Cambodia

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  • Tomoki Fujii

Abstract

Applying the small-area estimation methods to Cambodia data, we decompose the total inequality in wealth (consumption) and health (child undernutrition) indicators into within-location and between-location components. Because the knowledge of the pattern of spatial disparity in poverty and undernutrition is important for the geographic targeting of resources, we conduct a geographic decomposition of the variance of the Foster-Greere-Thorbecke index in addition to the standard decomposition exercise based on the generalized entropy measures. We find that a sizable proportion of wealth inequality is due to between-location inequality, whereas health inequality is mainly due to within-location inequality. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2013

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  • Tomoki Fujii, 2013. "Geographic decomposition of inequality in health and wealth: evidence from Cambodia," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 11(3), pages 373-392, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jecinq:v:11:y:2013:i:3:p:373-392
    DOI: 10.1007/s10888-012-9226-3
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Small-area estimation; Health inequality; Cambodia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General
    • D30 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - General
    • D00 - Microeconomics - - General - - - General

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