Global Inequality when Unequal Countries Create Unequal People

Martin Ravallion

No 24177, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Current global inequality measures assume that national-mean income does not matter to economic welfare at given household income, as measured in surveys. The paper questions that assumption on theoretical and empirical grounds and finds that prominent stylized facts about global inequality are not robust. At one extreme, theories of relative deprivation yield a nationalistic measure whereby global inequality is average within-country inequality, which is rising. Other theories and evidence point instead to an intrinsic value to living in a richer country. Then parameter values consistent with subjective wellbeing imply far higher global inequality than prevailing measures, though falling since 1990.

JEL-codes: D3 D6 I3 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-ltv and nep-pke
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Published as Martin Ravallion, 2019. "Global inequality when unequal countries create unequal people," European Economic Review, vol 111, pages 85-97.

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Journal Article: Global inequality when unequal countries create unequal people (2019)
Working Paper: Global Inequality When Unequal Countries Create Unequal People (2018)
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