Impact of Human Capital Endowments on Inequality of Outcomes in Cameroon

Francis Menjo Baye and Boniface Ngah Epo

Review of Income and Wealth, 2015, vol. 61, issue 1, 93-118

Abstract: type="main">

This paper evaluates the impact of human capital endowments on measured inequality in Cameroon. We first estimate determinants of household economic well-being (HEW) in which human capital endowments are considered as endogenous effort-related regressors, while controlling for exogenous circumstance-related variables. Second, we simulate alternative counterfactual distributions of HEW: one in which human capital endowments are equalized; and the other in which variations are entirely attributable to the unobservable terms. Finally we compare inequality in the factual distribution of household well-being with inequality in each of the simulated distributions. Direct and indirect exogenous opportunity-inducing circumstances are inequality-augmenting, whereas human capital endowments are inequality-reducing in the actual distribution. Education and health interventions will ameliorate well-being and mitigate inequality. Thus, leveling the playing ground for individuals to have equitable exposure to education, health and labor market participation is required for a low-income country like Cameroon to enhance equity and sustainable household economic growth.

Date: 2015
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