摘要:

This paper is concerned with measurement of the size distribution of personal wealth in Canada. The only available estimates of this distribution are those provided on the occasions when Statistics Canada's Survey of Consumer Finance has surveyed assets and debts. Results of the latest “SCF” to do this, that of 1977, are not yet available. The paper shows that the previous study, conducted in 1970, indicated wealth‐inequality as viewed by top quantile shares roughly of the same order as estimated by others for the U.S. and U.K. A comparison of asset and debt aggregates implied by the survey, however, with independent totals indicates that for almost all items the SCF likely under‐estimated true holdings. The possible relative importance of sampling and non‐sampling errors in explaining this distortion is considered, drawing on Monte Carlo evidence and American validation studies of survey response. It is concluded that sampling error is unlikely to provide the explanation for SCF discrepancies in aggregates, but that non‐sampling error is capable of doing so. Finally the 1970 SCF distribution of wealth is re‐estimated. First a correction is made for hypothetical differential response according to true net worth. Second an attempt is made to remove the effects of under‐reporting by respondents. The “best‐guess” re‐estimated distribution exhibits mean net worth considerably greater than shown by the SCF but only a slightly greater degree of concentration. Under certain fundamental assumptions this result is surprisingly robust. The appropriate conclusion is not that survey estimates of the distribution of wealth are reliable, but that the strong non‐sampling errors affecting the 1970 Canadian SCF wealth estimates may have been composed of almost completely o

ISSN:0034-6586    

DOI:10.1111/j.1475-4991.1979.tb00098.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1979

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper uses a variety of assumptions to produce calculations of worldwide income distributions from recent international data compilations. The variable quality of the source materials in these compilations along with the arbitrariness in the assumptions required are emphasized. A number of working hypotheses for the worldwide income distribution are offered until data and methods improve. It is suggested the top 1 percent of world population may receive 10–15 percent of world income, the top 10 percent from 45–65 percent, and the bottom 20 percent from 1–4 percent. These figures seem more unequal than those for domestic distributions even for more inegalitarian coun

ISSN:0034-6586    

DOI:10.1111/j.1475-4991.1979.tb00099.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1979

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The analysis of the redistribution processes via taxation, transfers and collective services raises several methodological problems among which tax incidence is not the least important. Through two hypotheses of incidence of employers’ social contribution the results of the redistribution of public funds lead to four types of conclusions. Despite the fact that about one third of the French national income is involved in the processes there is no clearcut evidence of any redistribution, except for the nonactive population in so far pensions are considered as redistributed. The positive effects which certain mechanisms may have (e.g. income tax…) are to a certain extent offset, or neutralized, by the anti‐redistributive effects of indirect taxation and social contributions. It appears that the results of the redistribution not only depend on the institution network, on the evolution of demographic structures and the rate of growth for the various types of income but also on lack of adaptation between the evolution of the three groups of factors. In last analysis, the reason why redistribution does not appear to have more far‐reaching consequences is that social policy amalgamates mechanisms often set up in isolation, whereas any reduction in inequalities must be based on a conscious awareness of the inter‐dependence of the situations which create and foster these same ine

ISSN:0034-6586    

DOI:10.1111/j.1475-4991.1979.tb00100.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1979

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The period 1968–69 to 1973–74 saw a redistribution of incomes in Australia. This is evidenced first by declining differentials between dissimilar persons and secondly by changes in two measures of income inequality, the Gini and Theil coefficients.The inequality coefficients are decomposed into components which distinguish between that part of total inequality due to income differences between dissimilar persons and that part due to inequality between similar persons. It is found that the reduction in inequality was due to the reduction in differentials between dissimilar persons and that inequality between similar persons probably did not change over the per

ISSN:0034-6586    

DOI:10.1111/j.1475-4991.1979.tb00101.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1979

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The persistence of poverty and income inequality in less developed countries (LDCs) is a source of serious concern to development economists. To understand the structure of inequality, several researchers using a variety of methodologies have measured the importance of various contributory factors to overall income variability. The available literature—which now includes studies of Brazil, Mexico, Iran, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Pakistan, and Colombia‐has been reviewed elsewhere (Fields, forthcoming). This paper presents additional evidence for urban Colombia, in the process raising some important methodological issues which bear on the design of future research studies.The data set used in this paper is described in Section I. The decomposition of Colombian inequality by functional income source is presented in Section 11 for micro data. Section I11 examines the robustness of source decomposition procedures to data aggregation. Section IV presents inequality decompositions by city, and Section V by other income‐determining characteristics. Conclusions appear in Secti

ISSN:0034-6586    

DOI:10.1111/j.1475-4991.1979.tb00102.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1979

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0034-6586    

DOI:10.1111/j.1475-4991.1979.tb00103.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1979

数据来源: WILEY