Is the era of declining global income inequality over?

Ravi Kanbur, Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez and Andy Sumner

Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 2024, vol. 70, issue C, 45-55

Abstract: This paper examines the trajectory of global income inequality since 1981. Commonly used (relative) definitions indicate a decline in global inequality since the late 1980s. Looking ahead, it has been intuited that the influence of China's economic development—and that of other rapidly growing, populous nations—on the between-country component will, at some juncture, diminish and start to add to global inequality should economic growth persist. Our paper formalizes the turning point of global inequality through a simple model. For illustrative purposes, we empirically present the implications for the timing of the turning point in the context of a weaker post-pandemic growth recovery versus a stronger, albeit improbable, post-pandemic growth recovery. We conclude by arguing that the era of declining global income inequality is likely over, considering the forces influencing both the between-country and within-country components.

Keywords: Global income inequality; Between-country income inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:streco:v:70:y:2024:i:c:p:45-55

DOI: 10.1016/j.strueco.2024.01.002

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