Income Inequality Rankings for Different Equivalence Scales and Population Health

This paper is divided in two parts. The first one is dedicated to analyse the inequality of the income distribution in Spain during the convergence process to the European Monetary Union. To carry out this task, we propose two robust models based on the quantile functions. Specifically, we use the Gamma and Beta quantile functions. The income inequality in Spain and the sensitivity of the results for different equivalence scales are analysed using the data corresponding to the first five waves (1994-1998) of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP). This survey contains data on individuals and households and the information is homogeneous across European countries. The second part of the paper is dedicated to study the correlation between income inequality and one of the most important health indicators such as life expectancy. We will try to add new perspectives to conventional studies of health inequalities. With this aim we will focus on relations between socio-economic factors and health of the individuals. In conclusion, this analysis seems to confirm the results obtained in previous researches. Income distribution has significant effects on health indicators. Although we can not confirm that the social capital is highly related with health, at least it is an important factor which helps to explain it. Key words: Inequality, social capital, health, European Community Household Panel

Lorenz Surfaces Based on the Sarmanov-Lee Distribution with Applications to Multidimensional Inequality in Well-Being

The purpose of this paper is to derive analytic expressions for the multivariate Lorenz surface for a relevant type of models based on the class of distributions with given marginals described by Sarmanov and Lee. The expression of the bivariate Lorenz surface can be conveniently interpreted as the convex linear combination of products of classical and concentrated univariate Lorenz curves. Thus, the generalized Gini index associated with this surface is expressed as a function of marginal Gini indices and concentration indices. This measure is additively decomposable in two factors, corresponding to inequality within and between variables. We present different parametric models using several marginal distributions including the classical Beta, the GB1, the Gamma, the lognormal distributions and others. We illustrate the use of these models to measure multidimensional inequality using data on two dimensions of well-being, wealth and health, in five developing countries.This research was partly funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, grant number PID2019-105986GB-C2

Multidimensional inequality in global well-being using generalized entropy indices

En este trabajo se abordan las tres metodologías propuestas en la literatura para evaluar la desigualdad en el bienestar a nivel mundial concebido como un proceso multidimensional. Para ello se considera el Índice de Desarrollo Humano (IDH), que representa el bienestar en términos de renta, salud y educación, para el periodo 1980- 2011. Partiendo de un análisis de desigualdad dimensión por dimensión, se concluye que en todas ellas se ha producido una disminución durante el periodo objeto de estudio, aunque las respectivas evoluciones son muy dispares. La desigualdad del IDH se ha reducido considerablemente en las últimas décadas, lo que se pone de manifiesto a partir de medidas unidimensionales y multidimensionales de entropía generalizada. Adicionalmente se lleva a cabo una descomposición de estas medidas en sus componentes interregional e intrarregional considerando las regiones del PNUD, resultados que reflejan cómo la disminución de la desigualdad en el bienestar es debida principalmente a la disminución de la desigualdad intrarregionalIn this work inequality in well-being in the world, as a multidimensional process, is assessed under three different approaches. To that end, we consider the Human Development Index, which measures well-being in terms of income, health and education, for the period 1980-2011. As a starting point, we propose a dimension-bydimension approach which reveals that the three dimensions have reduced their inequality over the study period although different patterns are concluded. Using unidimensional and multidimensional generalized entropy measures, we conclude that inequality in well-being has been remarkably reduced in the last decades. Decomposition of these measures in two components, between regions and within regions, which are determined by UNDP, has also been calculated. The results point out that the fall of inequality is mainly due to the decrease of within componen