IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/fistud/v45y2024i3p377-392.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Inequality trends in a slow‐growing economy: Italy, 1990–2020

Author

Listed:
  • Daniele Checchi
  • Tullio Jappelli
  • Immacolata Marino
  • Annalisa Scognamiglio

Abstract

This paper presents stylised facts on the labour supply and income inequality of individuals aged 25–55, drawn from the 1989–2020 Bank of Italy Survey of Household Income and Wealth. Over the sample period, earnings inequality has increased considerably although the gap is smaller when considered in terms of household disposable income. We investigate the possible drivers of this increase using administrative data on employees. The evidence suggests that labour market reforms implemented since the start of the 1990s are the most plausible explanation for this growth in earnings inequality. Comparison between earnings and disposable income suggests that both government and households are important for reducing inequalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniele Checchi & Tullio Jappelli & Immacolata Marino & Annalisa Scognamiglio, 2024. "Inequality trends in a slow‐growing economy: Italy, 1990–2020," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(3), pages 377-392, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:fistud:v:45:y:2024:i:3:p:377-392
    DOI: 10.1111/1475-5890.12385
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-5890.12385
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1475-5890.12385?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paolo Acciari & Alberto Polo & Giovanni L. Violante, 2022. "And Yet It Moves: Intergenerational Mobility in Italy," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 118-163, July.
    2. Checchi, Daniele & Ichino, Andrea & Rustichini, Aldo, 1999. "More equal but less mobile?: Education financing and intergenerational mobility in Italy and in the US," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 351-393, December.
    3. Tullio Jappelli & Luigi Pistaferri, 2010. "Does Consumption Inequality Track Income Inequality in Italy?," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 13(1), pages 133-153, January.
    4. Tito Boeri & Pietro Garibaldi, 2007. "Two Tier Reforms of Employment Protection: a Honeymoon Effect?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(521), pages 357-385, June.
    5. Rosati, Nicoletta, 2003. "How has economic inequality evolved over the past two decades? A look at the Italian experience," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(2), pages 93-122, June.
    6. Fatih Guvenen & Luigi Pistaferri & Giovanni L. Violante, 2022. "Global trends in income inequality and income dynamics: New insights from GRID," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 13(4), pages 1321-1360, November.
    7. Diego Daruich & Sabrina Di Addario & Raffaele Saggio, 2023. "The Effects of Partial Employment Protection Reforms: Evidence from Italy," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 90(6), pages 2880-2942.
    8. Francesca Subioli & Michele Raitano, 2022. "Differences set in stone: evidence on the inequality-mobility trade off in italy," Working Papers 633, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    9. Eran B. Hoffmann & Davide Malacrino & Luigi Pistaferri, 2022. "Earnings dynamics and labor market reforms: The Italian case," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 13(4), pages 1637-1667, November.
    10. Carlo V. Fiorio, 2011. "Understanding Italian Inequality Trends," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 73(2), pages 255-275, April.
    11. Marco Manacorda, 2004. "Can the Scala Mobile Explain the Fall and Rise of Earnings Inequality in Italy? A Semiparametric Analysis, 19771993," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 22(3), pages 585-614, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bavaro, Michele & Raitano, Michele, 2024. "Is working enough to escape poverty? Evidence on low-paid workers in Italy," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 495-511.
    2. Gabriele Ballarino & Michela Braga & Massimiliano Bratti & Daniele Checchi & Antonio Filippin & Carlo V. Fiorio & Marco Leonardi & Elena Meschi & Francesco Scervini, 2013. "GINI Country Report: Growing Inequalities and their Impacts in Italy," GINI Country Reports italy, AIAS, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies.
    3. Francesconi, Marco & Sonedda, Daniela, 2024. "Does Weaker Employment Protection Lower the Cost of Job Loss?," IZA Discussion Papers 17374, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Francesca Subioli & Michele Raitano, 2022. "Differences set in stone: evidence on the inequality-mobility trade off in italy," Working Papers 633, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    5. Bertrand Garbinti & Cecilia García-Peñalosa & Vladimir Pecheu & Frédérique Savignac, 2023. "Trends and Inequality in Lifetime Earnings in France," Working Papers hal-04362081, HAL.
    6. Tito Boeri & Andrea Ichino & Enrico Moretti & Johanna Posch, 2021. "Wage Equalization and Regional Misallocation: Evidence from Italian and German Provinces [“Regional Wage Disparities and Migration.”]," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 19(6), pages 3249-3292.
    7. Vito Peragine & Flaviana Palmisano & Paolo Brunori, 2014. "Economic Growth and Equality of Opportunity," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 28(2), pages 247-281.
    8. Flavia Coda Moscarola & Daniela Del Boca & Giovanna Paladino, 2023. "Parents' Preferences, Parenting Styles and Children's Outcomes," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 697 JEL Classification: D, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    9. Jiménez, Bruno & Rendon, Silvio, 2023. "Does employment protection unprotect workers? The labor market effects of job reinstatements in Peru," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    10. Sergei Guriev & Biagio Speciale & Michele Tuccio, 2019. "How do Regulated and Unregulated Labor Markets Respond to Shocks? Evidence from Immigrants During the Great Recession," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 35(1), pages 37-76.
    11. Richard Disney & Andy McKay & C Rashaad Shabab, 2023. "Household inequality and remittances in rural Thailand: a life-cycle perspective," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 75(2), pages 418-443.
    12. Chiara Mussida & Dario Sciulli, 2016. "The trend over time of labour market opportunities for young people in Italy," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 33(2), pages 291-321, August.
    13. Francesco Devicienti & Bernardo Fanfani, 2025. "Firms' margins of adjustment to wage growth: the case of Italian collective bargaining," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 92(365), pages 107-149, January.
    14. Bratti, Massimiliano & Conti, Maurizio & Sulis, Giovanni, 2019. "Employment Protection and Firm-Provided Training: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from a Labour Market Reform," IZA Discussion Papers 12773, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Disney, Richard & Mckay, Andy & Shabab, C Rashaad, 2023. "Household inequality and remittances in rural Thailand: a life-cycle perspective," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121207, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    16. Bonacini, Luca & Gallo, Giovanni & Scicchitano, Sergio, 2021. "Sometimes you cannot make it on your own. How household background influences chances of success in Italy," GLO Discussion Paper Series 832, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    17. Charlot, Olivier & Malherbet, Franck & Menestrier, Eloise, 2024. "Fragmented Stability: Recalls and Fixed-Term Contracts in the French Labour Market," IZA Discussion Papers 17486, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Andrea Brandolini & Romina Gambacorta & Alfonso Rosolia, 2018. "Inequality amid income stagnation: Italy over the last quarter of a century," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 442, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    19. Fabrizi, Elena & Rocca, Antonella, 2024. "“NEET status duration and socio-economic background”," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    20. Gabriella Berloffa & Francesca Modena & Paola Villa, 2014. "Changing Labour Market Opportunities for Young People in Italy and the Role of the Family of Origin," Rivista italiana degli economisti, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 2, pages 227-252.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:fistud:v:45:y:2024:i:3:p:377-392. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1475-5890 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.