The Evolution of Consumption and Wealth Inequality in India: A Quantitative Assessment

Subramanian Sreenivasan () and Jayaraj Dhairiyarayar
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Subramanian Sreenivasan: Madras Institute of Development Studies, 79 Second Main Road, Gandhinagar, Adyar, Chennai 600 020, Tamil Nadu, India
Jayaraj Dhairiyarayar: Madras Institute of Development Studies, 79 Second Main Road, Gandhinagar, Adyar, Chennai 600 020, Tamil Nadu, India

Journal of Globalization and Development, 2013, vol. 4, issue 2, 253-281

Abstract: In this paper we undertake a fairly straightforward quantitative assessment of trends in inequality in the distribution of consumption expenditure and of household wealth in India. While it is customary to employ, in applied work, only relative measures whose value basis is seldom subjected to any serious critical scrutiny, the present paper assesses inequality in terms of both absolute and intermediate measures, in addition to relative measures. It is found that our judgment of inequality trends is indeed influenced by the particular conception – relative, absolute or intermediate – of inequality that we may be inclined to favour. In particular, intermediate measures avoid the arguably “extreme” values underlying relative and absolute measures, and if we go by intermediate rather than relative indices, then we find that inequality in India must be judged to be increasing rather than essentially trend-less, as relative approaches to assessing inequality suggest.

Keywords: Relative inequality; absolute inequality; intermediate inequality; consumption expenditure; household assets; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 D63 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1515/jgd-2013-0018

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