Colonial Rule, Apartheid and Natural Resources: Top Incomes in South Africa, 1903-2007

Anthony Atkinson and Facundo Alvaredo

No 8155, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: There have been important studies of overall income inequality and of poverty in South Africa. In this paper, we approach the subject from a different direction: the extent and evolution of top incomes. We present estimates of the shares in total income of groups such as the top 1 per cent and the top 0.1 per cent, covering, with gaps, more than a hundred years. In order to explain the observed dynamics, here we consider three factors: the transfer of political authority, racial discrimination, and the rich mineral resources. The estimates of top income shares for recent years bear out the picture of South Africa as a highly unequal country.

Keywords: Distribution; Income taxation; South Africa; Top income shares (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D3 H0 N3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-12
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (28)

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