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Inequality in India: A review of levels and trends

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Abstract

This paper contributes to the literature by reviewing levels, trends, and structure of inequality since the early 1990s in India. It draws extensively on the existing literature, supplemented with analyses of multiple data sources, to paint a picture. It notes where different data sources suggest conflicting conclusions that reflect both data challenges and the complexity of the underlying drivers of inequality changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Himanshu, 2019. "Inequality in India: A review of levels and trends," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-42, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2019-42
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    Cited by:

    1. Martin Ravallion, 2022. "On the Gains from Tradable Benefits‐in‐kind: Evidence for Workfare in India," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 89(355), pages 770-787, July.
    2. Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Lanjouw, Peter F., 2020. "Welfare Dynamics in India over a Quarter Century: Poverty, Vulnerability, and Mobility during 1987-2012," GLO Discussion Paper Series 535, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    3. Utpal Kumar De & Loitongbam Hena Devi, 2023. "Inequality Dynamics in Urban Manipur, India: A Decomposition Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 167(1), pages 67-89, June.
    4. Peter Lanjouw & Hai-Anh Dang, 2018. "Welfare dynamics in India over a quarter-century: Poverty, vulnerability, and mobility, 1987–2012," WIDER Working Paper Series 175, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Chris Elbers & Peter Lanjouw, 2019. "The distributional impact of structural transformation in rural India: Model-based simulation and case-study evidence," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-33, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Martin Ravallion, 2021. "On the Gains from Tradeable Benefits-in-Kind," Working Papers gueconwpa~21-21-13, Georgetown University, Department of Economics.
    7. Tushar Agrawal & Ankush Agrawal, 2023. "Beyond Consumption Expenditure: Income Inequality and Its Sources in India," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 23(1), pages 7-27, January.
    8. Anupam Sarkar, 2020. "Role of Livestock Farming in Meeting Livelihood Challenges of SC Cultivators in India," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 14(1), pages 23-41, April.
    9. Sinha Roy,Sutirtha & Van Der Weide,Roy, 2022. "Poverty in India Has Declined over the Last Decade But Not As Much As Previously Thought," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9994, The World Bank.
    10. M. R. Narayana, 2021. "Economic inequality by age and its implications for inequity for living generations in India: evidence based on National Transfer Accounts," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 5(2), pages 373-396, June.
    11. Suresh Chand Aggarwal, 2022. "Inequality and Inclusive Development: Evidence from Selected Indian States," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 16(1), pages 55-76, April.
    12. Pandey, Aviral, 2020. "Inequality in Bihar: A District-Level Analysis," EconStor Preprints 225251, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    13. Hai‐Anh H. Dang & Peter Lanjouw, 2018. "Welfare dynamics in India over a quarter-century: Poverty, vulnerability, and mobility, 1987-2012," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-175, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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    Keywords

    Consumption; Data sources; Economic inequality; Wealth;
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