A Reassessment of the Relation between Economic Growth and Maldistribution of Income

Clavijo-Cortes, Pedro and Robledo-Campo, Jacobo and Mendoza-Tolosa, Henry (2019): A Reassessment of the Relation between Economic Growth and Maldistribution of Income.

Abstract

This article aims to evaluate the effect of the maldistribution of income on economic growth. From the empirical point of view, the literature on the matter is considerable. However, previous studies have employed the Gini index as a measure of inequality which tends to underestimate income disparities across countries. Because the complexity of inequality has changed over time and due to the Gini index is incapable of capturing the changing nature of distribution, we employ the Palma Ratio instead of the Gini index. The main advantage of employing the Palma Ratio is that it captures the dynamics of inequality and allows us to analyze the roots of this maldistribution. The relationship is estimated employing the methodology of Arellano-Bond for dynamic panels, and the results suggest that maldistribution of income generates a sluggish economic growth. In fact, our results suggest that inequality could be associated with a substantial reduction in growth.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Palma Ratio, dynamic panels, inequality, economic growth.
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C2 - Single Equation Models ; Single Variables > C23 - Panel Data Models ; Spatio-temporal Models; D - Microeconomics > D6 - Welfare Economics > D63 - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement; E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E2 - Consumption, Saving, Production, Investment, Labor Markets, and Informal Economy > E25 - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O11 - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O4 - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity > O47 - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth ; Aggregate Productivity ; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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