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Understanding the economic dynamics behind growth-inequality relationships

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  • Bandyopadhyay, Debasis
  • Tang, Xueli

Abstract

In this paper, a dynamic general equilibrium (DGE) model of growth-inequality relationships, with missing credit markets, knowledge spillover and self-employed agents, is calibrated to New Zealand data. The model explains how two distinct policy shocks involving redistribution and immigration imply, subsequently, two completely opposite outcomes. Agents' inability to borrow aggravates a negative macroeconomic effect of heterogeneity on growth. Redistribution mitigates that effect but creates microeconomic disincentives on saving and work-effort. Consequently, immigration shocks that perturb variance of efficiency induce a negative growth-inequality relationship, while redistribution shocks, in New Zealand's case, produce larger fluctuations in incentives than in macro benefits, implying a positive growth-inequality relationship.

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  • Bandyopadhyay, Debasis & Tang, Xueli, 2011. "Understanding the economic dynamics behind growth-inequality relationships," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 14-32, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jmacro:v:33:y:2011:i:1:p:14-32
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    2. Kim, Hyoungjong & Rhee, Dong-Eun, 2022. "The effects of asset prices on income inequality: Redistribution policy does matter," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    3. Max Kohler & Stefan Sperlich & Jisu Yoon, 2019. "A Varying Coefficient Model for Assessing the Returns to Growth to Account for Poverty and Inequality," Papers 1903.02390, arXiv.org.
    4. Domenico Rossignoli, 2015. "Too many and too much? Special-interest groups and inequality at the turn of the century," Rivista Internazionale di Scienze Sociali, Vita e Pensiero, Pubblicazioni dell'Universita' Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, vol. 130(3), pages 337-366.
    5. Rhee, Dong-Eun & Kim, Hyoungjong, 2018. "Does income inequality lead to banking crises in developing countries? Empirical evidence from cross-country panel data," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 206-218.
    6. Marina Malkina, 2014. "Study of the relationship between the development level and degree of income inequality in the Russian regions," Economy of region, Centre for Economic Security, Institute of Economics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, vol. 1(2), pages 238-248.

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