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Structural Reforms and Income Distribution: New Evidence for OECD Countries

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  • Rasmus Wiese
  • João Tovar Jalles
  • Jakob de Haan

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of labour market and product market reforms on income inequality for 25 OECD countries, using the local projections approach and updates of the reform indicators put together by Duval et al. (2018) until 2020. Our results suggest that both types of (endogenized) reforms cause more income inequality. Consistent with this finding is that counter-reforms lead to less income inequality. However, the inequality-raising effects of reforms occur especially in countries that have below median levels of social spending; in countries where social spending is above the sample median, the effect of reform is mostly statistically insignificant.

Suggested Citation

  • Rasmus Wiese & João Tovar Jalles & Jakob de Haan, 2023. "Structural Reforms and Income Distribution: New Evidence for OECD Countries," CESifo Working Paper Series 10214, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10214
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andreas Bergh & Irina Mirkina & Therese Nilsson, 2020. "Can social spending cushion the inequality effect of globalization?," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 104-142, March.
    2. A. B. Atkinson, 2003. "Income Inequality in OECD Countries: Data and Explanations," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 49(4), pages 479-513.
    3. Bouis, Romain & Duval, Romain & Eugster, Johannes, 2020. "How fast does product market reform pay off? New evidence from non-manufacturing industry deregulation in advanced economies," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 198-217.
    4. Alesina, Alberto & Drazen, Allan, 1991. "Why Are Stabilizations Delayed?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(5), pages 1170-1188, December.
    5. Andrea Bassanini & Romain Duval, 2009. "Unemployment, institutions, and reform complementarities: re-assessing the aggregate evidence for OECD countries," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 25(1), pages 40-59, Spring.
    6. Alberto Alesina & Dani Rodrik, 1994. "Distributive Politics and Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 109(2), pages 465-490.
    7. Olivier Blanchard & Francesco Giavazzi, 2003. "Macroeconomic Effects of Regulation and Deregulation in Goods and Labor Markets," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(3), pages 879-907.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wiese, Rasmus & Jalles, João Tovar & de Haan, Jakob, 2025. "The impact of increasing labour market rigidity on employment growth in OECD countries," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 2265-2275.
    2. Serhan Cevik, João Tovar Jalles, 2023. "Restructuring Reforms for Green Growth," Working Papers REM 2023/0278, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    3. Dinh Trung Nguyen, 2025. "Structural reforms and global value chains: a dynamic analysis of OECD countries based on local projections," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1-31, July.
    4. Christl, Michael & De Poli, Silvia & Köppl-Turyna, Monika, 2025. "Does redistribution hurt growth? An empirical assessment of the redistribution–growth relationship in the European Union," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    5. Kwamivi Mawuli Gomado, 2024. "Distributional Effects of Structural Reforms in Developing Countries: Evidence from Financial Liberalization," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 35(5), pages 1051-1084, November.
    6. Potrafke, Niklas & Roesel, Felix, 2025. "Online versus offline: Which networks spur protests?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    7. Fisera,Boris & Martin Melecky & Dorothe Singer, 2024. "Financial Deepening and Carbon Emissions Intensity : Evidence from a Global Sample of Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10948, The World Bank.
    8. Ablam Estel Apeti & Kwamivi Mawuli Gomado, 2025. "International monetary fund conditionality and structural reforms: Evidence from developing countries," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(2), pages 439-486, April.
    9. Raul Ramos & Esteban Sanromá & Runhan Ye, 2025. "Do labour market reforms reduce the output growth threshold of Okun's law? An analysis for OECD countries," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 45(1), pages 473-484.
    10. Kwamivi Mawuli GOMADO, 2025. "Labor productivity growth effects of structural reforms: evidence from developing countries," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 63(2), pages 151-182, April.
    11. Serhan Cevik & João Tovar Jalles, 2024. "Restructuring reforms for green growth," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 71(4), pages 515-541, September.
    12. Rasmus Wiese & Jakob de Haan & João Tovar Jalles, 2023. "The impact of endogenous product and labour market reforms on unemployment: New evidence based on local projections," Working Papers REM 2023/0296, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • H30 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - General
    • L43 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Legal Monopolies and Regulation or Deregulation
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation

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