Income inequality and social well-being

Nanak Kakwani and Hyun H. Son
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Nanak Kakwani: University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Hyun H. Son: Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines

No 380, Working Papers from ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality

Abstract: Deepening inequality has become the subject of intense debates, particularly on growth, poverty, and development. This paper shows that inequality has a bearing on well-being, which comprises a set of capabilities indicating the extent of freedom individuals have in leading their lives. It examines inequality in different dimensions of well-being across Brazilian municipalities and measures the impact of income inequality on well-being. Findings reveal that Brazil has improved outcomes related to material well-being, health, education, living conditions, and labor market activities, and has reduced disparities in these areas. The study finds that income inequality hampers growth in well-being, except for indicators closely associated with education and human capital development. Findings suggest that while the impacts of income inequality differ across various dimensions of well-being, reducing inequality will generally help improve the well-being of a society

Pages: 51 pages
Date: 2015-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-hap, nep-ltv and nep-sea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inq:inqwps:ecineq2015-380

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