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Legacies of apartheid: the distribution of income in South Africa

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  • Paul Mosley

    (Department of Economics, University of Sheffield, 9 Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 4DT)

  • Scott McDonald

    (University of Sheffield and University of Pretoria)

  • Jenifer Piesse

    (Birkbeck College, University of London and University of Pretoria)

Abstract

After more than a century of apartheid, the African National Congress (ANC) inherited one of the most unequal societies in the world. The degree of inequality and discrimination are remarkably well documented. Periodic income and expenditure surveys during the 1980s and 1990s and annual household surveys since the early 1990s provide a wealth of information. Gini decomposition is used to analyse levels of income inequality by source using 1995 data, focusing on four regions, each with mixed characteristics concerning their racial, geographical and economic base. Wage income is found to be the major source of inequality, while other components of total household income contribute to making the distribution more or less unequal. While the results demonstrate that there was a clear racial component in the inequality of income distribution in South Africa, they also demonstrate that a simple account, which emphasizes race, ignores the complexities. They also demonstrate the magnitude of the task facing the present government. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Mosley & Scott McDonald & Jenifer Piesse, 1999. "Legacies of apartheid: the distribution of income in South Africa," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(7), pages 985-1004.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:11:y:1999:i:7:p:985-1004
    DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1328(199911/12)11:7<985::AID-JID645>3.0.CO;2-V
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    3. Atkinson, Anthony B., 1970. "On the measurement of inequality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 244-263, September.
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