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Inequality within and between Families

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  • Sheshinski, Eytan
  • Weiss, Yoram

Abstract

Between-family differences in expenditures and output reflect the effect of simultaneous increases in children's ability on the willingness of parents to transfer resources to them. Within-family differences also reflect the attitudes of parents toward disparity among children. In this paper we characterize the conditions on parents' preferences that determine whether between-family differences exceed within-family differences. For an additive utility, within-family differences in expenditures always exceed between-family differences. This may also be true for the maximum utility function if an increase in ability reduces the marginal utility of income. Within-family differences in output (utility or income) can also exceed between-family differences. In this case, the implication for income distribution is that equality is enhanced by a higher correlation of ability between brothers.
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  • Sheshinski, Eytan & Weiss, Yoram, 1982. "Inequality within and between Families," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 90(1), pages 105-127, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jpolec:v:90:y:1982:i:1:p:105-27
    DOI: 10.1086/261041
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Becker, Gary S & Tomes, Nigel, 1976. "Child Endowments and the Quantity and Quality of Children," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 84(4), pages 143-162, August.
    2. Jerry R. Green & Eytan Sheshinski, 1975. "A Note on the Progressivity of Optimal Public Expenditures," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 89(1), pages 138-144.
    3. Griliches, Zvi, 1979. "Sibling Models and Data in Economics: Beginnings of a Survey," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(5), pages 37-64, October.
    4. Kenneth J. Arrow, 1971. "A Utilitarian Approach to the Concept of Equality in Public Expenditures," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 85(3), pages 409-415.
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    Cited by:

    1. Momi Dahan & Alejandro Gaviria, 1998. "Actos de los padres y desigualdad entre hermanos," Research Department Publications 4151, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    2. Nerlove, Marc & Razin, Assaf & Sadka, Efraim, 1984. "Investment in Human and Nonhuman Capital, Transfers among Siblings, and the Role of Government," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(5), pages 1191-1198, September.
    3. Ye, Maoliang & Yi, Junjian, 2017. "Parental preferences, production technologies, and provision for progeny," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 261-270.
    4. Gary S. Becker & Robert J. Barro, 1988. "A Reformulation of the Economic Theory of Fertility," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 103(1), pages 1-25.
    5. Dahan, Momi & Gaviria, Alejandro, 2003. "Parental actions and sibling inequality," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(1), pages 281-297, October.
    6. Nerlove, Marc & Razin, Assaf & Sadka, Efraim, 1983. "Economic Issues in Population Policy," Foerder Institute for Economic Research Working Papers 275372, Tel-Aviv University > Foerder Institute for Economic Research.
    7. Cowell, Frank A., 2014. "Piketty in the long run," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 65992, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Morris A. Davis & E. Michael Foster, 1999. "Intra-household allocation and the mental health of children: structural estimation analysis," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1999-30, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    9. Luc Arrondel & Anne Laferrère, 1992. "Les partages inégaux de successions entre frères et soeurs," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 256(1), pages 29-42.
    10. Amartya Sen, 1987. "Gender and Cooperative Conflicts," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-1987-018, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    11. Mark R. Rosenzweig & Kenneth I. Wolpin, 1988. "Heterogeneity, Intrafamily Distribution, and Child Health," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 23(4), pages 437-461.
    12. Deininger, Klaus W. & Jin, Songqing & Nagarajan, Hari & Xia, Fang, 2013. "How Far Does the Amendment to the Hindu Succession Act Reach? Evidence from Two-Generation Females in Urban India," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 151432, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    13. Quy-Toan Do & Tung D. Phung, 2010. "The Importance of Being Wanted," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(4), pages 236-253, October.
    14. André Masson & Pierre Pestieau, 1991. "Types et modèles d'héritage et leurs implications," Économie et Prévision, Programme National Persée, vol. 100(4), pages 31-71.
    15. Nathalie Picard & François-Charles Wolff, 2010. "Measuring educational inequalities: a method and an application to Albania," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 23(3), pages 989-1023, June.
    16. Behrman, Jere R & Rosenzweig, Mark R & Taubman, Paul, 1994. "Endowments and the Allocation of Schooling in the Family and in the Marriage Market: The Twins Experiment," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 102(6), pages 1131-1174, December.

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