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Indigenous and Other Australian Poverty: Revisiting the Importance of Equivalence Scales

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  • BOYD H. HUNTER
  • STEVEN KENNEDY
  • NICHOLAS BIDDLE

Abstract

Equivalence scales attempt to control for family size and composition, as well as the relative costs of maintaining various family types. The 1995 National Health Survey is used to examine how variations in the assumptions underlying equivalence scales, such as household composition and economies of size, affect poverty measures for Indigenous and non‐Indigenous Australians. The main finding is that the assumptions about the costs of children can increase Indigenous poverty by a factor of two‐ and‐a‐half. Another finding is that the choice of equivalence scales can induce large threshold effects that influence the composition of poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Boyd H. Hunter & Steven Kennedy & Nicholas Biddle, 2004. "Indigenous and Other Australian Poverty: Revisiting the Importance of Equivalence Scales," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 80(251), pages 411-422, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecorec:v:80:y:2004:i:251:p:411-422
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4932.2004.00198.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Banks, James & Johnson, Paul, 1994. "Equivalence Scale Relativities Revisited," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 104(425), pages 883-890, July.
    2. Boyd H. Hunter & Steven Kennedy & Daniel Smith, 2003. "Household Composition, Equivalence Scales and the Reliability of Income Distributions: Some Evidence for Indigenous and Other Australians," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 79(244), pages 70-83, March.
    3. Sen, Amartya K, 1976. "Poverty: An Ordinal Approach to Measurement," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 44(2), pages 219-231, March.
    4. Brigitte Buhmann & Lee Rainwater & Guenther Schmaus & Timothy M. Smeeding, 1988. "Equivalence Scales, Well‐Being, Inequality, And Poverty: Sensitivity Estimates Across Ten Countries Using The Luxembourg Income Study (Lis) Database," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 34(2), pages 115-142, June.
    5. Jenkins, Stephen P & Cowell, Frank A, 1994. "Parametric Equivalence Scales and Scale Relativities," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 104(425), pages 891-900, July.
    6. Coulter, Fiona A E & Cowell, Frank A & Jenkins, Stephen P, 1992. "Equivalence Scale Relativities and the Extent of Inequality and Poverty," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 102(414), pages 1067-1082, September.
    7. repec:bla:revinw:v:43:y:1997:i:3:p:319-33 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Foster, James E & Shorrocks, Anthony F, 1991. "Subgroup Consistent Poverty Indices," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 59(3), pages 687-709, May.
    9. John Creedy, 1998. "Measuring Poverty: An Introduction," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 31(1), pages 82-89, March.
    10. Klaas de Vos & M. Asghar Zaidi, 1997. "Equivalence Scale Sensitivity Of Poverty Statistics For The Member States Of The European Community," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 43(3), pages 319-333, September.
    11. Peter Siminski & Peter Saunders & Bruce Bradbury, 2003. "Reviewing the Intertemporal Consistency of ABS Household Income Data through Comparisons with External Aggregates," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 36(3), pages 333-349, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Robert Breunig & Syed Hasan & Boyd Hunter, 2019. "Financial Stress and Indigenous Australians," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 95(308), pages 34-57, March.
    2. Danielle Venn & Boyd Hunter, 2018. "Poverty transitions in non-remote Indigenous households: The role of labour market and household dynamics," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 21(1), pages 21-44.
    3. Regier, Gregory & Zereyesus, Yacob & Dalton, Timothy & Amanor-Boadu, Vincent, 2015. "Do Adult Equivalence Scales Matter in Poverty Estimates? A Ghana Case Study," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212487, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Udo Ebert, 2010. "Equity-regarding poverty measures: differences in needs and the role of equivalence scales," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 43(1), pages 301-322, February.
    5. Jon C. Altman & Nicholas Biddle & Boyd H. Hunter, 2009. "Prospects For ‘Closing The Gap’ In Socioeconomic Outcomes For Indigenous Australians?," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 49(3), pages 225-251, November.
    6. Boyd Hunter, 2006. "Further Skirmishes in the Poverty War: Income Status and financial stress among Indigenous Australians," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 9(1), pages 51-64, March.
    7. Joan R. Rodgers, 2012. "Living Arrangements and Income Poverty," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 15(3), pages 217-234.
    8. Judith Streak & Derek Yu & Servaas Van der Berg, 2009. "Measuring Child Poverty in South Africa: Sensitivity to the Choice of Equivalence Scale and an Updated Profile," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 94(2), pages 183-201, November.
    9. Boyd Hunter & Monica Howlett & Matthew Gray, 2015. "The Economic Impact of the Mining Boom on Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 2(3), pages 517-530, September.
    10. Boyd Hunter, 2007. "The cumulative causation and the productivity commission’s framework for overcoming Indigenous disadvantage," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 10(3), pages 185-202.
    11. Gianni Betti & Mehmet Ali Karadag & Ozlem Sarica & Baris Ucar, 2017. "How to Reduce the Impact of Equivalence Scales on Poverty Measurement: Evidence from Turkey," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 132(3), pages 1023-1035, July.

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