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Does Educational Achievement Help to Explain Income Inequality?

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  • Daniele Checchi

Abstract

In this paper we propose to measure the inequality of educational achievements by constructing a Gini index on educational attainments. We then use the proposed measure to analyse the relationship between inequality in incomes and educational achievements (in terms of both the average attainments and the dispersion of attainments). Even if theoretical considerations suggest a non- linear relationship between these two measures of inequality, actual data indicate that there is a strong negative linkage between average years of education and measured income inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniele Checchi, 2000. "Does Educational Achievement Help to Explain Income Inequality?," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2000-208, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2000-208
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic development; Education; Equality and inequality; Human capital; Income distribution;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J70 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - General
    • I39 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Other

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