scholarly journals Gaps in Health and Wealth: The relationship between trends in income inequality and breastfeeding inequalities

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Nickel ◽  
Marni Brownell ◽  
Dan Chateau ◽  
Alan Katz ◽  
Elaine Burland
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Concentration Index ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Income Quintile ◽  
Breastfeeding Initiation ◽  
Age At First Birth ◽  
The Gini Coefficient ◽  
Breastfeeding Rates ◽  
Over Time

ABSTRACT ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to identify whether breastfeeding inequalities have increased between 1984 and 2014 and to examine whether trends in income inequality are related to breastfeeding inequalities. MethodsWe used linkable administrative data from the Population Health Research Data Repository. Our sample included all infants born in Manitoba, 1984 to 2014. We used area-level income – derived from the Canadian Census – to stratify infants into income quintiles. Canadian Census income data were also used to quantify provincial level income inequality for each fiscal year in our study period. Data from the hospital discharge abstract database were used to classify infants according to whether or not they had initiated breastfeeding. We linked infant data to maternal data using the Manitoba health insurance registry to capture maternal characteristics – including the mother’s postal code of residence and her age at first birth. We used generalized linear models to calculate income quintile-specific breastfeeding rates for each fiscal year in our observation period for all of Manitoba. We also calculated age-adjusted breastfeeding rates to account for the changing age distribution in Manitoba mothers, over time. We measured breastfeeding inequities using the concentration index as well as the rate ratio and rate difference (comparing the breastfeeding rate between the highest and lowest income quintiles). We quantified income inequality using the Gini coefficient on income. Trend analyses and two-sided Z-tests tested for changes, over time. Time by income-quintile interactions tested whether breastfeeding rates were statistically significantly different, across socioeconomic groups. ResultsBreastfeeding rates increased from 1985 to 2014, from 72% to 81% (p<0.01). The Gini coefficient increased from 0.16 to 0.21; a linear trend test of the Gini coefficient showed income inequality increased over the study period (p<0.05). Rate differences, rate ratios, and the Concentration index showed that significant breastfeeding inequalities existed throughout the study period. Trend tests revealed that breastfeeding inequalities did not increase, over time. ConclusionsAggregate analyses may suggest overall improvement when inequality persists. Although there was improvement in breastfeeding initiation rates, children from lower socioeconomic status continue to lag behind their counterparts. Policy-focused health equity research needs to measure outcomes, overall, and inequity across time.

scholarly journals A Meta-Analysis of the Association between Income Inequality and Intergenerational Mobility

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 237802311988128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto F. L. Amaral ◽  
Shih-Keng Yen ◽  
Sharron Xuanren Wang-Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Intergenerational Mobility ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Income Share ◽  
Income Elasticities ◽  
Great Gatsby ◽  
The Gini Coefficient ◽  
Over Time

We provide an overview of associations between income inequality and intergenerational mobility in the United States, Canada, and eight European countries. We analyze whether this correlation is observed across and within countries over time. We investigate Great Gatsby curves and perform metaregression analyses based on several papers on this topic. Results suggest that countries with high levels of inequality tend to have lower levels of mobility. Intergenerational income elasticities have stronger associations with the Gini coefficient compared to associations with the top 1 percent income share. Once models are controlled for methodological variables, country indicators, and paper indicators, correlations of mobility with the Gini coefficient lose significance but not with the top 1 percent income share. This result is an indication that recent increases in inequality at the top of the distribution might be negatively affecting mobility on a greater magnitude compared to variations across the income distribution.

scholarly journals A meta-analysis of the association between income inequality and intergenerational mobility

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto F. L. Amaral ◽  
Shih-Keng Yen ◽  
Sharron Xuanren Wang
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Intergenerational Mobility ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Income Share ◽  
Income Elasticities ◽  
Great Gatsby ◽  
The Gini Coefficient ◽  
Over Time

We provide an overview of associations between income inequality and intergenerational mobility in the United States, Canada, and eight European countries. We analyze whether this correlation is observed across and within countries over time. We investigate Great Gatsby curves and perform metaregression analyses based on several papers on this topic. Results suggest that countries with high levels of inequality tend to have lower levels of mobility. Intergenerational income elasticities have stronger associations with the Gini coefficient compared to associations with the top 1 percent income share. Once models are controlled for methodological variables, country indicators, and paper indicators, correlations of mobility with the Gini coefficient lose significance but not with the top 1 percent income share. This result is an indication that recent increases in inequality at the top of the distribution might be negatively affecting mobility on a greater magnitude compared to variations across the income distribution.

scholarly journals Financialization and Income Inequality in Selected European Countries, 2004–2013

e-Finanse ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 20-32
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Golebiowski ◽  
Piotr Szczepankowski ◽  
Dorota Wisniewska
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Value Added ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Total Employment ◽  
The Gini Coefficient ◽  
Synthetic Indicator ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The article examines the impact of financialization on income inequality between 2004 and 2013, through a panel analysis of seven European countries. Moreover, it attempts to examine differences in the perception of the phenomenon between the selected European countries belonging to the G-7 and countries from Central and Eastern Europe. The results demonstrate the existence of individual effects, which means that the level of inequality under examination is influenced predominantly by country-specific factors. The most significant correlation is noticeable between the level of unemployment and the degree of income inequality. An increase in unemployment is accompanied by a rise in the disproportions in the level of income that individual citizens have at their disposal whereas a decrease in the unemployment level contributes to an improvement of the GINI coefficient. Simultaneously, the results confirm the existence of significant correlations between the level of the GINI coefficient and such financialization indicators as the share of employment in finance in total employment and the contribution of the financial sector to total value added creation. The most prominent dependency was discovered when a constructed synthetic indicator was adopted as an indicator of financialization. At the same time, analysis of the synthetic country financialization indicator points to a conclusion that the level of financialization is higher in European countries belonging to the G-7 (especially Great Britain) than in countries from Central and Eastern Europe.

The Problem of Income Inequality

2019 ◽  
pp. 42-44
Author(s):  
Andrew Smithers
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Living Standards ◽  
Living Standard ◽  
The Gini Coefficient ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Distribution Of Income

Living standards change in line with GDP per head only if the distribution of incomes is unchanged. If incomes become less equally distributed the living standards of most people will fall even if GDP per head is stable. The Gini Coefficient is the most widely used indicator designed to measure the distribution of income. UK inequality, on this measure, has risen since 1977, stabilized since 1987, and fallen in recent years. In the US there has been a long-term increase in income inequality. Unless this US trend for increased income inequality halts, it is quite likely that even if GDP per head rises in the US, the living standard of the average voter will fall. The recent data suggest that changes in income inequality pose less of a threat to living standards in the UK then they do to those in the US.

THE GINI COEFFICIENT'S APPLICATION TO GENERAL COMPLEX NETWORKS

2005 ◽  
Vol 08 (01) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
HAI-BO HU ◽  
LIN WANG
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Complex Networks ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Scale Free ◽  
The Gini Coefficient ◽  
Scale Free Networks ◽  
General Complex

The Gini coefficient, which was originally used in microeconomics to describe income inequality, is introduced into the research of general complex networks as a metric on the heterogeneity of network structure. Some parameters such as degree exponent and degree-rank exponent were already defined in the case of scale-free networks also as a metric on the heterogeneity. In scale-free networks, the Gini coefficient is proved to be equivalent to the parameters mentioned above, and moreover, a classification of infinite scale-free networks is given according to the value of the Gini coefficient.

scholarly journals Wealth and Income in New Zealand: c. 1870 to c. 1939

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Margaret Nell Galt
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Upward Mobility ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Considerable Proportion ◽  
The Gini Coefficient ◽  
Over Time

<p>This thesis examines the level and distribution of wealth and income in New Zealand between about 1870 and 1939. To do so it draws upon the available aggregate statistics on wealth and income, and it uses a sample of wealth holders especially constructed to alleviate the data deficiencies which have arisen through New Zealand not having a wealth census. The evidence available suggests that New Zealand was correctly portrayed as having a high level of wealth with an egalitarian distribution. In 1893, the first year in which average wealth could be estimated, New Zealand was definitely wealthier than Victoria. This wealth was not evenly distributed but the gini coefficient of about 0.75 suggested that New Zealand was an egalitarian economy compared to the United States, Britain, or even Australia. Over the period to 1939 the average level of wealth increased by about 100 percent. Most of this increase took place between 1900 and 1922; the late 1920's and 1930's were periods of slow growth. But this increase was not sufficient to maintain New Zealand's high position relative to Australia, and probably to other countries. The growth of real wealth was accompanied by a redistribution of wealth and by the 1930's, the gini coefficient was only about 0.73. Most of this decline was due to the declining assets held by the very rich. In 1890 to 1895 the top one percent of wealth holders owned 55 - 60 percent of all assets, but by 1935 to 1939 this had fallen to 25 - 30 percent. The very rich had, in fact, never been rich by international standards. The case studies in the thesis did not include one millionaire. As a rule they were first generation wealthy men who came from a well-to-do background, who had superior education, but who had to achieve being wealthy through their own efforts. There were few women among the top wealth holders, and those who did appear inherited their wealth from their father or or husband. The wealthy did not show signs of being a closed elite. There was a considerable amount of upward mobility in the group, and the Scots especially tended to come from poor backgrounds. The practise of equal inheritance among all the children meant that few families remained very wealthy for more than one generation. The same social and occupational mobility was clear among our sample of estate holders. Only 50 percent of sons had the same social status as their fathers. The remaining sons were fairly evenly divided between those who rose and those who fell in status. The sample, which was constructed from probate valuations and death certificate records, suggests some of the factors which assisted and hindered upward mobility. Being born female at a time when women did not pursue careers, or own family property obviously influenced the wealth holdings of a considerable proportion of the population. For men, the place of their birth proved to be significant. The Scottish showed a marked tendency to be upwardly mobile, while being Irish or New Zealand born was a definite handicap. Those who were born overseas did better if they arrived as young adults between 1860 and 1880. Assisted migrants produced proportionately less probatable estates, but those who did had about the same estates as those not assisted. Wealth was concentrated among those involved in farming, trading and the professions throughout most of our period, but over time agricultural wealth showed signs of being replaced by industrial fortunes. The professions had the advantage of a comparatively high income which enabled people to accumulate fortunes. Lifetime income undoubtedly had the major influence on wealth at death. The level of average income increased probably three-fold in the period. Again most of this rise came between 1900 and 1920. It is probable that the distribution also became more equal, through the reduced incomes to the top earners. There was a strong trend for margins for skill to decline over time, even though they were already small relative to those found in the United States. The exception to this was teachers' salaries, which showed a marked rise as the occupation became more professional. The rise of teachers' wages, shop work and clerical jobs all changed the employment structure for women, which was reflected in a changed attitude towards higher education. The 1930's saw a reduction in incomes largely through unemployment and short-time. However, the reduction was heaviest among those in the top 10 percent. The depression had mixed effects on production levels, prices and wages, but only one of our three sample industries, butter and cheese making, showed strong evidence of wage overhang. In 1939 New Zealand was still a wealthy nation, though probably she would not have ranked as highly on an international scale as in 1890. The distribution of both wealth and income had changed over our period to being substantially more egalitarian.</p>

scholarly journals Income Inequality and Noncash Food Assistance Program in Central Java Province

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuf Munandar
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Food Assistance ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Central Java ◽  
The Gini Coefficient ◽  
Central Java Province

One measure of income inequality that is often used is the Gini Coefficient. In Central Java Province, the income inequality in March 2019 was increasing compared to income inequality in September 2018. To reduce this income inequality, the government is focusing on increasing government spending in the field of social assistance, including Non-Cash Food Assistance (Bantuan Pangan Non Tunai/BPNT). Thus, this study aims to calculate and obtain a reduction in the Gini Coefficient as a result of the implementation of the BPNT program in the Central Java Province of Indonesia. This study uses the Counter Factual Analysis (CFA) method and the March 2019 Susenas data. This study concludes that the implementation of the BPNT program in 2019 is quite effective in reducing the level of income inequality in the Central Java Province of Indonesia, which is able to reduce the Gini Coefficient of Central Java Province by -1.20%. The implementation of the BPNT program was able to make the expenditure of the lower class population increase faster than the expenditure of upper and middle class population. The implementation of the BPNT program changes the map of the income inequality level of 35 districts/cities in the Central Java Province of Indonesia but does not change the map of the level of income inequality between urban and rural areas in the Central Java Province of Indonesia. In addition, the implementation of the BPNT program in the Central Java Province of Indonesia has not been able to change the category of income inequality in the Central Java Province of Indonesia, namely that it remains in the moderate category. This study recommends improvements in terms of the target recipients of BPNT, the quality of the human resources of the companions, the time for receiving assistance, the quality of rice, and the readiness of e-warong in 35 districts/cities in the Province of Central Java, Indonesia.

scholarly journals Energy transition and social justice: Do renewable energy levies have an impact on income distribution and energy poverty?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Priesmann ◽  
Saskia Spiegelburg ◽  
Reinhard Madlener ◽  
Aaron Praktiknjo
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Relative Increase ◽  
Energy Poverty ◽  
The Gini Coefficient ◽  
Ex Post

Abstract Energy systems are decidedly the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Therefore, transitioning them from fossil to renewable systems is a top priority for societies committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, such transitions involve substantial costs. In many cases, these costs are proportionally passed on to final energy consumers through levies on their electricity consumption. In our paper, we investigate the impacts of renewable support levies on social justice or, more specifically, on income inequality. For our study, we chose Germany where inflation-adjusted electricity prices for private households increased substantially because of such a levy for renewables. We base our analyses on representative household panel data with over 40,000 households from 2003 to 2018. Our results indicate that indiscriminate renewable support levies on electricity consumption increase income inequality and energy poverty. For our case in 2018, renewable support levies alone led to a relative increase of ~0.23% of the Gini coefficient and ~11.31% of the high cost low income (HCLI) energy poverty indicator measuring energy poverty intensity. Based on our findings, we propose a reform of the renewable support levy and analyze three options: (1) the abolition of the levy, (2) levies which are income-progressive proportionally to the income taxes, and (3) a high and flat levy in conjunction with an income-degressive compensation payment. Our ex-post analyses for 2018 indicate that a reformed levy system would have slightly decreased overall income inequality with relative decreases of ~0.23%, ~0.32%, and ~0.59% of the Gini coefficient for options (1), (2), and (3), respectively. But more importantly, such a system would have substantially decreased energy poverty by ~11.31%, ~30.45%, and ~31.45% for the HCLI energy poverty indicator for options (1), (2), and (3), respectively.

scholarly journals Education and Reducing Income Inequalities – The Importance of Education in Maritime Studies

Pomorstvo ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-204
Author(s):  
Nada Karaman Aksentijević ◽  
Zoran Ježić
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Maritime Education ◽  
The Gini Coefficient ◽  
Unit Reduction

Contemporary studies of economic inequality and poverty emphasise that their key causes are in the area of tax policy, labour force policy, and employment, and the causes that are being pointed out lately are education and educational attainment level of the population. The aim of the paper is to confirm the theoretically defined link between education and income inequality reduction and to point out that economic policy makers cannot solve the problem of inequality in society without a significant influence on public education, primarily through increased availability and quality of public education. In the second part of the paper, the Gini coefficient, the education index, and the coefficient of human inequality are used on the example of 130 countries to establish a correlation between education and income inequality reduction. The model shows a strong link between income inequality reduction (measured by the Gini coefficient) and increase in the educational attainment level of the population, increase in income, but also improvement of the health care system. It was found that, for each unit reduction of the coefficient of human inequality (IHDI), the Gini coefficient decreases by 9.7 points. In addition to research limitations and the proposal of future research, the conclusion proposes the opportunities and measures for increasing the educational attainment level of the population in order to reduce income inequality. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of tertiary maritime education.

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