On the unequal inequality of poor communities

Chris Elbers, Peter Frederik Lanjouw (), Johan Andre Mistiaen, Berk Özler () and Kenneth Simler

No 3313, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: Important differences exist between communities with respect to their needs, capacities, and circumstances. As central governments are not able to discern these differences fully, they seek to achieve their policy objectives by relying on decentralized mechanisms that use local information. However, household and individual characteristics within communities can also vary substantially. A growing theoretical literature suggests that inequality within communities can influence policy outcomes, and that this influence could be harmful or helpful, depending on the circumstances. Empirical investigations into the impact of inequality have, to date, largely been held back by a lack of systematic evidence on community-level inequality. The authors use household survey and population census data to estimate per capita consumption inequality within communities in three developing countries: Ecuador, Madagascar, and Mozambique. Communities are found to vary markedly from one another in terms of the degree of inequality they exhibit. The authors also show that there should be no presumption that inequality is less severe in poor communities. They argue that the kind of community-level inequality estimates generated in this paper can be used in designing and evaluating decentralized antipoverty programs.

Keywords: Poverty Impact Evaluation; Decentralization; Housing&Human Habitats; Services&Transfers to Poor; Human Rights; Governance Indicators; Inequality; Rural Poverty Reduction; Services&Transfers to Poor; Safety Nets and Transfers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ure
Date: 2004-05-01
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Journal Article: On the Unequal Inequality of Poor Communities (2004)
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