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Inequality in Five Countries in the 1980s: The Role of Demographic Shifts, Markets and Government Policies
Author(s) -
Jätti Markus
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
economica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.532
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1468-0335
pISSN - 0013-0427
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0335.00088
Subject(s) - inequality , economic inequality , earnings , economics , spouse , demographic economics , income inequality metrics , government (linguistics) , income distribution , labour economics , political science , mathematical analysis , linguistics , philosophy , mathematics , accounting , law
This paper uses Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) data to examine levels of and trends in income inequality in Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Inequality increased in Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States but did not increase in Canada and the Netherlands. Increased inequality of household head’s earnings and increased shares of spouse’s earnings in family income account for much of the observed increases in income inequality. The public sector can, in general, be assigned a moderating effect on these changes. Demographic shifts are not assigned any major role in inequality changes.