IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/unu/wpaper/wp-2018-162.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Drivers of inequality in South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Janina Hundenborn
  • Murray Leibbrandt
  • Ingrid Woolard

Abstract

The first democratic elections in 1994 brought about the promise for equal opportunity and an overall improvement of living standards for the majority of the South African population. However, 20 years after the democratization of South Africa, levels of inequality remain stubbornly high. The focused contribution of this paper is to examine the role of income from different sources driving these high levels of inequality, and which ones cause changes over time.

Suggested Citation

  • Janina Hundenborn & Murray Leibbrandt & Ingrid Woolard, 2018. "Drivers of inequality in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-162, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2018-162
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp2018-162.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reinhard Schiel & Murray Leibbrandt & David Lam, 2016. "Assessing the Impact of Social Grants on Inequality: A South African Case Study," International Economic Association Series, in: Timothy Besley (ed.), Contemporary Issues in Development Economics, chapter 8, pages 112-135, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Stark, Oded & Taylor, J Edward & Yitzhaki, Shlomo, 1986. "Remittances and Inequality," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 96(383), pages 722-740, September.
    3. Ricardo Paes de Barros & Mirela de Carvalho & Samuel Franco & Rosane Mendonça, 2006. "Uma Análise das Principais Causas da Queda Recente na Desigualdade de Renda Brasileira," Discussion Papers 1203, Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada - IPEA.
    4. Azevedo, Joao Pedro & Inchauste, Gabriela & Sanfelice, Viviane, 2013. "Decomposing the recent inequality decline in Latin America," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6715, The World Bank.
    5. Janina Hundenborn & Ingrid Woolard & Murray Leibbrandt, 2016. "Drivers of Inequality in South Africa," SALDRU Working Papers 194, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    6. Murray Leibbrandt & Arden Finn & Ingrid Woolard, 2012. "Describing and decomposing post-apartheid income inequality in South Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 19-34, March.
    7. Mashekwa Maboshe & Ingrid Woolard, 2018. "Revisiting the impact of direct taxes and transfers on poverty and inequality in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-79, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Murray Leibbrandt & Ingrid Woolard & Arden Finn & Jonathan Argent, 2010. "Trends in South African Income Distribution and Poverty since the Fall of Apartheid," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 101, OECD Publishing.
    9. Lerman, Robert I & Yitzhaki, Shlomo, 1985. "Income Inequality Effects by Income," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 67(1), pages 151-156, February.
    10. Shorrocks, A F, 1982. "Inequality Decomposition by Factor Components," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(1), pages 193-211, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sheunesu Zhou & Olivier Niyitegeka, 2023. "On the Dynamic Relationship between Household Debt and Income Inequality in South Africa," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Tony Addison & Ville Pikkarainen & Risto Rönkkö & Finn Tarp, 2017. "Development and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-169, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Janina Hundenborn & Ingrid Woolard & Murray Leibbrandt, 2016. "Drivers of Inequality in South Africa," SALDRU Working Papers 194, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    4. Arndt, Channing & Davies, Robert J. & Gabriel, Sherwin & Harris, Laurence & Sachs, Michael & van Seventer, Dirk, 2021. "Building back fairer from the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa: Some first step reforms in an era of fiscal constraints," IFPRI discussion papers 2043, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    5. Mark Edem Kunawotor & Godfred Alufar Bokpin & Patrick O. Asuming & Kofi A. Amoateng, 2022. "The distributional effects of fiscal and monetary policies in Africa," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 24(1), pages 127-146, June.
    6. Margherita Scarlato & Giorgio d'Agostino, 2019. "Cash Transfers, Labor Supply, and Gender Inequality: Evidence from South Africa," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 159-184, October.
    7. Janina Hundenborn & Ingrid Woolard & Murray Leibbrandt, 2016. "Drivers of Inequality in South Africa," SALDRU Working Papers 194, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    8. Tony Addison & Ville Pikkarainen & Risto Rönkkö & Finn Tarp, 2017. "Development and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series 169, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. Vusi Gumede, 2021. "Revisiting Poverty, Human Development and Inequality in Democratic South Africa," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 15(2), pages 183-199, August.
    10. Tiaan MEIRING & Catherine KANNEMEYER & Elnari POTGIETER, 2018. "The Gap Between Rich and Poor: South African Society’s Biggest Divide Depends on Where You Think You Fit In," Working Paper ffd19ae8-4b12-4b82-b218-8, Agence française de développement.
    11. Anda David & Nathalie Guilbert & Nobuaki Hamaguchi & Yudai Higashi & Hiroyuki Hino & Murray Leibbrandt & Muna Shifa, 2018. "Spatial Poverty and Inequality in South Africa: A Municipality Level Analysis," Discussion Paper Series DP2018-02, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    12. Martin Wittenberg & Mark Collinson & Tom Harris, 2017. "Decomposing changes in household measures: Household size and services in South Africa, 1994–2012," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(39), pages 1297-1326.
    13. Janina Hundenborn & Ingrid Woolard & Jon Jellema, 2019. "The effect of top incomes on inequality in South Africa," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(5), pages 1018-1047, October.
    14. John E. Ataguba, 2021. "The Impact of Financing Health Services on Income Inequality in an Unequal Society: The Case of South Africa," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 19(5), pages 721-733, September.
    15. Emmerling, Johannes & Shayegh, Soheil & Dasgupta, Shouro, 2020. "Inequality and Growth Impacts from Climate Change—Insights from South Africa," RFF Working Paper Series 20-10, Resources for the Future.
    16. Morné Oosthuizen, 2019. "Inequality and the generational economy: Race-disaggregated National Transfer Accounts for South Africa, 2015," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-24, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    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. Janina Hundenborn & Ingrid Woolard & Murray Leibbrandt, 2016. "Drivers of Inequality in South Africa," SALDRU Working Papers 194, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    2. Murray Leibbrandt & Vimal Ranchhod & Pippa Green, 2018. "Taking stock of South African income inequality," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-184, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Murray Leibbrandt & Vima Ranchhod & Pippa Green, 2018. "Taking stock of South African income inequality," WIDER Working Paper Series 184, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Koen Caminada & Kees Goudswaard & Chen Wang & Jinxian Wang, 2019. "Income Inequality and Fiscal Redistribution in 31 Countries After the Crisis," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 61(1), pages 119-148, March.
    5. Babulo, Bedru & Muys, Bart & Nega, Fredu & Tollens, Eric & Nyssen, Jan & Deckers, Jozef & Mathijs, Erik, 2009. "The economic contribution of forest resource use to rural livelihoods in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 123-131, March.
    6. Arden Finn, 2015. "A National Minimum Wage in the Context of the South African Labour Market," SALDRU Working Papers 153, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    7. Tran, Tuyen & Vu, Huong, 2013. "Farmland loss, nonfarm diversification and inequality: A micro-econometric analysis of household surveys in Vietnam," MPRA Paper 47596, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Reinhard Schiel & Murray Leibbrandt & David Lam, 2016. "Assessing the Impact of Social Grants on Inequality: A South African Case Study," International Economic Association Series, in: Timothy Besley (ed.), Contemporary Issues in Development Economics, chapter 8, pages 112-135, Palgrave Macmillan.
    9. Raul M. Silveira-Neto & Carlos R. Azzoni, 2012. "Social Policy As Regional Policy: Market And Nonmarket Factors Determining Regional Inequality," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 433-450, August.
    10. Martin Wittenberg & Mark Collinson & Tom Harris, 2017. "Decomposing changes in household measures: Household size and services in South Africa, 1994–2012," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(39), pages 1297-1326.
    11. Wang Dewen, 2010. "Can Social Security Boost Domestic Consumption in the People’s Republic of China?," Working Papers id:2490, eSocialSciences.
    12. Kai-yuen, Tsui, 1998. "Factor Decomposition of Chinese Rural Income Inequality: New Methodology, Empirical Findings, and Policy Implications," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 502-528, September.
    13. Wroński, Marcin, 2023. "The impact of social security wealth on the distribution of wealth in the European Union," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 24(C).
    14. Kimhi, Ayal, 2010. "International Remittances, Domestic Remittances, and Income Inequality in the Dominican Republic," Discussion Papers 93130, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Department of Agricultural Economics and Management.
    15. Thomas Reardon & J. Edward Taylor & Kostas Stamoulis & Peter Lanjouw & Arsenio Balisacan, 2000. "Effects of Non‐Farm Employment on Rural Income Inequality in Developing Countries: An Investment Perspective," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 266-288, May.
    16. David (David Patrick) Madden & Cathal Clancy, 2005. "Growth and inequality in Ireland : 1987 - 1999," Working Papers 200516, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    17. Alejandro Lopez-Feldman, 2006. "Decomposing inequality and obtaining marginal effects," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 6(1), pages 106-111, March.
    18. Hisatoshi Hoken & Hiroshi Sato, 2017. "Public Policy and Long-Term Trends in Inequality in Rural China, 1988-2013," University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP) Working Papers 201716, University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP).
    19. Ndiaye, Alioune, 2021. "Diversify or Specialise? Impacts of Diversification on Household Welfare and Inequalities in Pastoral Areas in Senegal," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315898, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    20. David Madden, 1996. "Sources of Income Inequality in Ireland," Working Papers 199615, School of Economics, University College Dublin.

    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:unu:wpaper:wp-2018-162. 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: Siméon Rapin (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/widerfi.html .

    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.