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Income inequality in the European Union: evidence from a panel analysis

Author

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  • Giuseppina Malerba

    (DISCE, Università Cattolica)

  • Marta Spreafico

    (DISCE, Università Cattolica)

Abstract

Understanding the reasons underlying income inequality has generated considerable interest in the last years and various theoretical analyses have been developed to explain international differences in income distribution between groups of countries at different stages of economic development. However, structural investigations of the contemporary effects of the forces shaping the evolution of income inequality are difficult to find. Moreover, little attention has been given to the increasing inequality merely among advanced economies. For these reasons, we develop a theoretical framework to provide a comprehensive analysis of the factors affecting income distribution in a particular set of advanced economies, the European Union countries, and utilize a fifteen year panel of 25 countries to identify the short term effects of several considerable determinants of household income inequality. On the basis of the main findings, we conclude providing some policy indications.

Suggested Citation

  • Giuseppina Malerba & Marta Spreafico, 2013. "Income inequality in the European Union: evidence from a panel analysis," DISCE - Quaderni del Dipartimento di Politica Economica ispe0065, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).
    • Handle: RePEc:ctc:serie5:ispe0065
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    Cited by:

    1. Giuseppina Malerba & Marta Spreafico, 2014. "The rich and the poor in the EU and the Great Recession: Evidence from a Panel Analysis," DISCE - Quaderni del Dipartimento di Politica Economica ispe0068, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).
    2. Campiglio, Luigi Pierfranco, 2014. "Unbundling the Great European Recession (2009-2013): Unemployment, Consumption, Investment, Inflation and Current Account," MPRA Paper 53002, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. John S L McCombie & Marta Spreafico, 2013. "Can only democracies enhance “Human Development”? Evidence from the Former Soviet Countries," DISCE - Quaderni del Dipartimento di Politica Economica ispe0066, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Household disposable income distribution; European Union; structural determinants; panel models;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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