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Sectorial shifts and Inequality. How to relate macroeconomic events to inequality changes

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Abstract

This paper presents a way to explore how macroeconomic shifts cause inequality changes. It is based on the backwardness observed in the agricultural sector in rural areas. It shows why highly dualistic economies tend to be more unequal than economies with flexible and integrated labour markets. Assuming that an inter-sectorial wage gap exists, this methodology allows control over the direct impact on inequality changes caused by macroeconomic changes that affects the relative competitiveness between the tradable and non-tradable sectors. The methodology aims to find the wage gap change (in log units) taking place between two points in time, which is not dependent on the distribution of endowments of the employed population (observed and unobserved characteristics). The decomposition methodology here proposed shows to be consistent under few assumptions (log normal distribution of earnings and inter-sectorial stochastic dominance) and was tested using real and simulated data. The procedure supports the conclusions by Devillanova et al. (2010) suggesting a channel through which trade integration can affect the wage inequality in a context of capital-skill complementarity and imperfect mobility of workers. The main conclusion of this paper is that duality is a source of inequality. Therefore, policies oriented to eliminate the systematic backwardness appear to be highly desirable in such economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlos Villalobos Barría, 2012. "Sectorial shifts and Inequality. How to relate macroeconomic events to inequality changes," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 219, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:got:iaidps:219
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Alex A. Ruehle & Kishore G. Kulkarni, 2011. "Dutch disease and the Chilean copper boom – an empirical analysis," International Journal of Education Economics and Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 2(1), pages 61-80.
    3. Agosin, Manuel R., 2007. "Trade and growth: why Asia grows faster than Latin America," Copublicaciones, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), number 1940, September.
    4. Stephan Klasen & Thomas Otter & Carlos Villalobos Barría, 2012. "The dynamics of inequality change in a highly dualistic economy: Honduras, 1991-2007," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 215, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
    5. Giovanni Andrea Cornia, 2012. "Inequality Trends and their Determinants: Latin America over 1990-2010," Working Papers - Economics wp2012_02.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    6. Mario Damill & Roberto Frenkel, 2012. "Macroeconomic Policies, Growth, Employment, and Inequality in Latin America," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2012-023, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Stephan Klasen & Thomas Otter & Carlos Villalobos Barría, 2012. "The dynamics of inequality change in a highly dualistic economy: Honduras, 1991-2007," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 215, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
    8. repec:unu:wpaper:wp2012-23 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Carlos Villalobos Barría & Stephan Klasen & Sebastian Vollmer, 2016. "The Distribution Dynamics of Human Development in Mexico 1990–2010," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 62(S1), pages 47-67, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Inequality; Decomposition; Wage-gap; Tradable and Non-tradable sectors; Micro-econometric Simulations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • C15 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Statistical Simulation Methods: General

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