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INCOME DISTRIBUTION IN THE U.S.S.R. IN THE 1980s

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  • Michael V. Alexeev
  • Clifford G. Gaddy

Abstract

In 1989 Soviet authorities released unprecedented new data on the size distribution of income in the U.S.S.R. in the 1980s, including the distributions by republics. With the goal of providing a benchmark for evaluating the effect of current and future economic reforms on income distribution in the former Soviet Union, this paper estimates inequality measures for the new data. The estimation uses a simple nonparametric technique based on the Kolmogorov‐Smirnov test to fit the Soviet data to a lognormal distribution. The results suggest that, for income from official sources, (1) inequality in the Soviet Union as a whole declined throughout the 1980s‐both before and after Gorbachev's accession in 1985, and (2) income inequality was greater in the poorer, southern republics of the U.S.S.R. than in the north. While the inclusion of unofficial (unreported) private income would probably reinforce the second of these two trends, its effect on the first cannot be determined on the basis of available information.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael V. Alexeev & Clifford G. Gaddy, 1993. "INCOME DISTRIBUTION IN THE U.S.S.R. IN THE 1980s," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 39(1), pages 23-36, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:revinw:v:39:y:1993:i:1:p:23-36
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4991.1993.tb00435.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexander Libman & Anastassia Obydenkova, 2019. "Inequality and historical legacies: evidence from post-communist regions," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(6), pages 699-724, November.
    2. Lubimov, I.L. (Любимов, И.Л.), 2016. "Inequality and Growth: Theoretical Aspects of Dependence [Неравенство И Экономический Рост: Теоретические Аспекты Зависимости]," Working Papers 2042, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    3. Kazuhiro Kumo & Alexandra Koval & Irina Korgun & Olga Trofimenko, 2018. "Foreign Trade and Regional Inequality:The Case of the Russian Federation," Economy of region, Centre for Economic Security, Institute of Economics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, vol. 1(3), pages 884-895.
    4. Joanna Tyrowicz & Lucas Velde & Jan Svejnar, 2017. "Effects Of Labor Reallocation On Productivity And Inequality—Insights From Studies On Transition," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 712-732, July.
    5. Thomas Groll & Peter J. Lambert, 2013. "The Pro-Poorness, Growth and Inequality Nexus: Some Findings From a Simulation Study," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 59(4), pages 776-784, December.
    6. Jan Svejnar & Joanna Tyrowicz & Lucas van der Velde, 2015. "Productivity and Inequality Effects of Rapid Labor Reallocation – Insights from a Meta-Analysis of Studies on Transition," Working Papers 2015-11, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw.
    7. Suesse, Marvin, 2019. "Adjusting the size of nations: Empirical determinants of separatism and the Soviet breakup," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 50-64.
    8. Kazakova, M.V. (Казакова, М.В.) & Kiblitskaya, T.R. (Киблицкая, Т.Р.) & Lyubimov, I.L. (Любимов, И.Л.) & Nesterova, K.V. (Нестерова, К.В.), 2016. "Inequality and Economic Growth: An Empirical Evaluation of Foreign Countries and Russia [Неравенство И Экономический Рост: Эмпирические Оценки Для Зарубежных Стран И России]," Working Papers 2043, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    9. Cheng, Yuk-shing, 1996. "A decomposition analysis of income inequality of Chinese rural households," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 155-167.

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