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The Retail Price of Inequality

Author

Listed:
  • Frankel, David M.
  • Gould, Eric

Abstract

This paper studies the relation between a city's income distribution and its retail price level using panel data. We find that an increase in the presence of lower-middle income households, relative to poor or upper income households, is associated with lower prices. Our findings suggest that greater income inequality raises the prices that poor households face, thus making it harder for them to invest in human capital.

Suggested Citation

  • Frankel, David M. & Gould, Eric, 2001. "The Retail Price of Inequality," Staff General Research Papers Archive 11922, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:isu:genres:11922
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Richard B. Freeman, 1982. "Crime and the Labor Market," NBER Working Papers 1031, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Joseph G. Altonji & David Card, 1991. "The Effects of Immigration on the Labor Market Outcomes of Less-skilled Natives," NBER Chapters,in: Immigration, Trade, and the Labor Market, pages 201-234 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    12. Kunreuther, Howard, 1973. "Why the Poor May Pay More for Food: Theoretical and Empirical Evidence," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 46(3), pages 368-383, July.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Gibson, John & Kim, Bonggeun, 2013. "Do the urban poor face higher food prices? Evidence from Vietnam," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 193-203.
    2. Emek Basker & Muhammad Taimur Khan, 2016. "Does the Minimum Wage Bite into Fast-Food Prices?," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 129-148, June.
    3. Stewart, Hayden & Blisard, Noel, 2006. "Household versus Community Effects: Who Really Pays More for Food?," 2006 Annual meeting, July 23-26, Long Beach, CA 21053, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    4. Basker, Emek, 2005. "Selling a cheaper mousetrap: Wal-Mart's effect on retail prices," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 203-229, September.
    5. Schuetz, Jenny & Kolko, Jed & Meltzer, Rachel, 2012. "Are poor neighborhoods “retail deserts”?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 269-285.
    6. Hayden Stewart & David E. Davis, 2005. "Price Dispersion and Accessibility: A Case Study of Fast Food," Southern Economic Journal, Southern Economic Association, vol. 71(4), pages 784-799, April.
    7. Emek Basker & Michael Noel, 2009. "The Evolving Food Chain: Competitive Effects of Wal-Mart's Entry into the Supermarket Industry," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(4), pages 977-1009, December.
    8. repec:kap:jincot:v:17:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s10842-017-0246-3 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Christoph Lakner & Branko Milanovic, 2016. "Global Income Distribution: From the Fall of the Berlin Wall to the Great Recession," World Bank Economic Review, World Bank Group, vol. 30(2), pages 203-232.
    10. repec:kap:reveho:v:16:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s11150-017-9388-7 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Andriana Bellou, 2017. "Male wage inequality and marital dissolution: Is there a link?," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 50(1), pages 40-71, February.
    12. Flavio Delbono & Gemma Dipoppa & Luca Lambertini & Carlo Reggiani, 2017. "A Single Espresso, Please! Rationalizing Espresso Price Dispersion Across Italian Cities," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 465-478, December.
    13. Gould, Eric D. & Paserman, M. Daniele, 2003. "Waiting for Mr. Right: rising inequality and declining marriage rates," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(2), pages 257-281, March.
    14. Somekh, Babak, "undated". "The Effect Of Income Inequality On Price Dispersion," Working Papers WP2012/2, University of Haifa, Department of Economics.
    15. Wendt, Minh & Kinsey, Jean D. & Kaufman, Phillip R., 2008. "Food Accessibility in the Inner City: What Have We Learned, A Literature Review 1963-2006," Working Papers 37625, University of Minnesota, The Food Industry Center.
    16. Emek Basker, 2015. "Change at the Checkout: Tracing the Impact of a Process Innovation," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(2), pages 339-370, June.
    17. Hayden Stewart & Noel Blisard, 2008. "Who Pays More for Food?," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(1), pages 150-168, February.
    18. Stewart, Hayden & Dong, Diansheng, 2011. "Variation in retail costs for fresh vegetables and salty snacks across communities in the United States," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 128-135, April.
    19. Abhimanyu Dadu & Namrata Gulati, 2014. "Inequality, neighborhoods and variation in prices," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2014-001, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
    20. Berkovich Efraim, 2012. "Card Rewards and Cross-Subsidization in the Gasoline and Grocery Markets," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 11(4), pages 1-38, December.
    21. Christoph Lakner & Branko Milanovic, 2015. "La distribución global del ingreso. De la caída del muro de Berlín a la gran recesión," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 17(32), pages 71-128, January-J.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General
    • D33 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Factor Income Distribution
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

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