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Constructing Long and Dense Time-Series of Inequality Using the Theil Index

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  • Pedro Conceicao
  • James K. Galbraith

Abstract

Year-to-year economy-wide measures of income distribution, such as the Gini coefficient, are rarely available for long periods except in a few developed countries, and as a result few analyses of year-to-year changes in inequality exist. But wage and earnings data by industrial sectors are readily available for many countries over long time frames. This paper proposes the application of the between-group component of the Theil index to data on wages, earnings, and employment by industrial classification in order to measure the evolution of wage or earnings inequality through time. We provide formal criteria under which such a between-group Theil statistic can reasonably be assumed to give results that also track the (unobserved) evolution of inequality within industries. While the evolution of inequality in manufacturing earnings cannot be taken as per se indicating the larger movements of inequality in household incomes, including those outside the manufacturing sector, we argue on theoretical grounds that the two will rarely move in opposite directions. We conclude with an empirical application to the case of Brazil, an important developing country for which economy-wide Gini coefficients are scarce, but for which a between-industries Theil statistic may be computed on a monthly basis as far back as 1976.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedro Conceicao & James K. Galbraith, 1998. "Constructing Long and Dense Time-Series of Inequality Using the Theil Index," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_259, Levy Economics Institute.
  • Handle: RePEc:lev:wrkpap:wp_259
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    Cited by:

    1. de Souza Ferreira Filho, Joaquim Bento & Bacha, Carlos José Caetano & Regazzini, Leonardo Coviello, 2021. "Tax exemption in Brazil in 2009: why vehicles and not agriculture? An interregional general equilibrium analysis," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), December.
    2. Antonis Adam & Margarita Katsimi & Thomas Moutos, 2012. "Inequality and the import demand function," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 64(4), pages 675-701, October.
    3. Dipanwita Sarkar, 2007. "The role of human capital in economic growth revisited," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(6), pages 419-423.
    4. Angelica Sbardella & Emanuele Pugliese & Luciano Pietronero, 2016. "Economic Development and Inequality: a complex system analysis," Papers 1605.03133, arXiv.org.
    5. Fabrice Gilles & Yannick L'Horty, 2003. "Reducing working time and inequality: what has the French 35-hour work week experience taught us?," Documents de recherche 03-07, Centre d'Études des Politiques Économiques (EPEE), Université d'Evry Val d'Essonne.
    6. Jerry O Jacobson & Nicolas W Hengartner & Thomas A Louis, 2005. "Inequity Measures for Evaluations of Environmental Justice: A Case Study of Close Proximity to Highways in New York City," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 37(1), pages 21-43, January.

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