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Inequality at Low Levels of Aggregation in Chile

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  • Claudio A. Agostini
  • Philip H. Brown

Abstract

Despite success in poverty reduction, inequality in Chile has remained virtually unchanged over the last 20 years. High levels of inequality have been shown to hamper further reductions in poverty as well as economic growth, and local inequality has been shown to affect such outcomes as violence and health. The study of inequality at the local level is thus crucial for understanding the economic wellbeing of a country. Local measures of inequality have been difficult to obtain, but recent theoretical advances have enabled the combination of survey and census data to generate estimates of inequality that are robust at disaggregated geographic levels. We employ this methodology to produce consistent and precise estimates of inequality for every county in Chile. We find considerable heterogeneity in county‐level estimates of inequality, with Gini coefficients ranging from 0.41 to 0.64.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudio A. Agostini & Philip H. Brown, 2010. "Inequality at Low Levels of Aggregation in Chile," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(2), pages 213-226, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:14:y:2010:i:2:p:213-226
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9361.2010.00548.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Michelle Mieres Brevis, 2020. "La dinámica de la desigualdad en Chile: Una mirada regional," Revista de Analisis Economico – Economic Analysis Review, Universidad Alberto Hurtado/School of Economics and Business, vol. 35(2), pages 91-133, October.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • O54 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Latin America; Caribbean

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