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Drivers of inequality in South Africa

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  • 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
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    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.
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    4. 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.
    5. Shorrocks, A F, 1982. "Inequality Decomposition by Factor Components," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(1), pages 193-211, January.
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    7. 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.
    8. 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).
    9. 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.
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    Cited by:

    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. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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).
    6. 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).
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. 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.
    11. 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).
    12. 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.
    13. 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.
    14. 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).
    15. 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.
    16. 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.

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