Measurement of Inequality-Adjusted Human Development at the Sub-National Level for the United States in 2015 And 2020

Parker Howell and Maritza Sotomayor ()
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Parker Howell: University of Michigan, U.S.A
Maritza Sotomayor: Utah Valley University, U.S.A

Journal of Economic Development, 2023, vol. 48, issue 3, 55-89

Abstract: The search for an alternative indicator for the GDP led to the spread of composite indexes in recent decades. Among the indicators that demonstrated qualities for reliable measurement of the population’s well-being is the Human Development Index (HDI) by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 1990. One of the HDI’s shortcomings was not considering inequality’s differences in its three metrics (health, education, and income). The UNDP’s inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI) solved this problem, becoming an indicator of the actual status of the population’s well-being. The program publishes the IHDI at the country level; however, there are no estimates at the sub-national level for the United States. This paper estimates the IHDI at the state and county levels for 2015 and 2020. The estimates contribute to the empirical evidence since no such calculations exist at this level of disaggregation. Our work confirms regional disparities when the HDI is adjusted for inequality.

Keywords: Human Development; Composite Index; Sub-National IHDI; Sub-National GDI; Sub-national GII; United States (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C80 I15 I25 I31 J16 O15 O51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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