Sequences of Inequalities among Differences of Gini Means and Divergence Measures

In 1938, Gini studied a mean having two parameters. Later, many authors studied properties of this mean. In particular, it contains the famous means as harmonic, geometric, arithmetic, etc. Here we considered a sequence of inequalities arising due to particular values of each parameter of Gini's mean. This sequence generates many nonnegative differences. Not all of them are convex. We have studied here convexity of these differences and again established new sequences of inequalities of these differences. Considering in terms of probability distributions these differences, we have made connections with some of well known divergence measures

Convergence of Regional Human Development Indexes in Poland

The subject of convergence became popular in Poland upon its accession to the EU in 2004. Since then Poland has been a beneficiary of the cohesion policy - a regional policy of the European Union aimed at increasing the level of economic, social, and territorial (spatial) cohesion. While the economic aspect is a very thoroughly researched area of convergence studies, the social aspects are less often covered by specialist literature. This is the issue raised in this paper which, along with separate measures of social convergence, constructs a region HDI measure to evaluate the social cohesion of Poland’s regions1. Values of regional HDIs in Poland were not known and required calculation, which allowed for drawing conclusions about the standards of living of inhabitants in specific provinces. In general, it was possible to determine that HDIs are rising in all regions, which means, simultaneously, an increase in the standards of living of the provinces’ populations. At the same time, however, that growth was accompanied by increasing divergences in the HDI distribution among regions (sigma-divergence). The study of convergence of specific HDI components also allowed to note that HDI divergences are mainly caused by increasing economic inequalities between regions in Poland (measured by the Gross Domestic Product Index), and inequalities in education (measured by the Education Index).Temat konwergencji stał się w Polsce popularny wraz z akcesją do Unii w 2004 r., od kiedy to Polska jest beneficjentem polityki spójności - polityki regionalnej Unii Europejskiej, dążącej do podwyższenia poziomu spójności gospodarczej, społecznej i terytorialnej (przestrzennej). O ile aspekt gospodarczy jest bardzo dobrze przebadanym obszarem badań nad konwergencją, to aspekty społeczne rzadziej pojawiają się w literaturze przedmiotu. Ten właśnie wątek jest poruszany w niniejszym referacie, w którym zbudowano wojewódzki miernik HDI do pomiaru spójności społecznej polskich województw. Dzięki oszacowaniu wojewódzkich HDI można było stwierdzić, że standard życia mieszkańców wszystkich województw rósł w okresie 1995-2010. Jednocześnie jednak wzrostom tym towarzyszyły narastające nierówności w rozkładzie HDI (sigmadywergencja). Badanie konwergencji poszczególnych składowych indeksu HDI pozwoliło stwierdzić dodatkowo, że głównymi sprawcami dywergencji wojewódzkich HDI są narastające w Polsce nierówności gospodarcze (mierzone Indeksem Produktu Krajowego Brutto) oraz nierówności w wykształceniu (mierzone Indeksem Edukacyjnym)

A Converging or Diverging World?

This paper discusses some of the problems of method and data in measuring world inequality. It describes some recent attempts to do so and produces its own estimates. There is no simple answer to the question of whether or not the world is becoming more unequal. If a variety of methods are employed and compared, a complex answer emerges, showing that inequality is both declining in some ways and increasing in others. However, there has clearly been an enormous, recent increase in the gap between the very rich and the very poor.world inequality, poverty, wealth, globalization

Decomposing the Dynamics of Regional Earnings Disparities in Israel

The literature on regional growth convergence and economic disparities has tended to confound four interwoven measurement phenomena. i) mean reversion (so-called beta convergence) where richer regions move towards the average from above and poorer regions from below. ii) diminishing inequality (so called sigma convergence) where the horizontal or spatial distribution of income becomes more equal. iii) mobility, where the rank of a region in the overall distribution of income changes either upwards or downwards. iv) leveling, where the richer regions become poorer (leveling-down) or the poorer regions become richer (leveling-up). We use a new statistical methodology, which treats these four phenomena on an integrated basis. The methodology is applied to Israeli regional earnings and house price data. We find that whereas earnings are strongly sigma divergent during the 1990s, this trend is offset when regional cost of living differences are taken into consideration. In this event, regional housing markets induce convergence in similar measure to the divergence induced by regional labor earnings.

Interprovincial disparities in China since the reforms: convergence or divergence?

This paper investigates the extent of disparities amongst the provinces of China since the economic reform in 1978 up to the most recent year for which data is available. After a brief review of theoretical and in particular recent empirical literature on regional inequality in China it investigates whether or not the dynamic economic growth in China has been coupled with increasing disparities amongst the Chinese provinces. The paper utilises a few models of convergence along the lines of those hypothesised by neoclassical economists. It employs per capita income and per capita consumption to identify the possible absolute and conditional convergence since the economic reforms. The coverage and impact of the disparities in terms of the relative size of population affected are then taken into account in the analysis of inequality in income and consumption.China, Regional disparities, inequality, convergence

DISTRIBUTION OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, CHILD LABOR AND POVERTY IN INDIA

This paper contributes to the growing debate on regional economic inequality and polarization in India. The specific objectives of this paper are to: (1) analyze regional development disparities amongst various states in India to determine if they are on a convergent course; (2) analyze the evolution of regional inequalities amongst states with respect to a number of socioeconomic indicators and factors that have been suggested to affect the incidence of child labor; (3) investigate and test empirically whether polarization is taking place in Indian states; and (4) investigate whether regional indices of human development and child labor incidence follow similar patterns. Using a consistent data series and applying a number of recently developed measures, trends over the decades of 1961-1991 are documented. The results show that there is little evidence to suggest that any convergence of either the Ò or ã type is taking place amongst the states in India and while there has been no significant decrease in regional inequalities relating to human development, inequalities relating to child labor incidence have increased.Labor and Human Capital,

A More or Less Unequal World? World Income Distribution in the 20th Century

Statistical studies are hardly needed to prove the existence of immense material inequality between human beings. It is evident to anyone who walks down the street in most major cities or watches a television newscast which jumps from images of famine in Angola to the business or the football transfer news. This article takes the existence of great inequality as given but discusses the various ways in which that inequality can be and is measured and surveys evidence about how inequality on a world scale has evolved during the last century and especially since 1980.