An integrated approach for the measurement of inequality, poverty, and richness

We propose a new and integrated approach to the measurement of inequality in income distribution, poverty, and richness. The proposed broad set of indicators is neutral and easy to calculate. The method allows a specific interpretation of the results, a decomposition according to households’ characteristics, and an immediate comparison of the results between different countries and time periods. We illustrate the application of the proposed measures and their decomposition based on evidence from Portugal. In addition, we characterize households in accordance with their position in the income distribution.income inequality, poverty, richness, measurement.

An integrated approach for the measurement of inequality, poverty and richness

We propose a new and integrated approach to the measurement of inequality in income distribution, poverty, and richness. In the context of the poverty and richness measures, we consider the three dimensions usually analysed – incidence, intensity, and severity. The proposed broad set of indicators is easy to calculate and is based on a neutral income inequality concept. The method also allows an objective interpretation of the values for each measure, a decomposition according to households’ characteristics, and an immediate comparison of the results between countries and time periods. We illustrate the application of the measures with data from Portugal

Who are the poor? Who are the rich? Evidence for Portugal

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the main determinants of the probability of a household being poor, middle class, or rich. Design/methodology/approach – A new and integrated approach to the measurement of inequality in income distribution, poverty, and richness was recently proposed. Based on that approach and considering data for the Portuguese economy, the authors estimate a multinomial model in order to identify the main determinants of the probability of a household being poor, middle class, or rich using a set of characteristics of the households and the household’s individual of reference as explanatory variables. Findings – The evidence obtained indicates that: the determinants of poverty and richness are similar in qualitative terms; and household type, main source of income, education, and labor market state are the most important factors explaining these phenomena. Originality/value – Following a methodology recently proposed by Crespo et al. toward an integrated measurement of inequality, poverty, and richness, the present study contributes to this line of research by using a micro-econometric model applied to the Portuguese economy in order to identify the determinants of poverty and richness

Spatial centrality : an approach with sectoral linkages

This paper proposes a measure with six components to evaluate the degree of centrality (advantage) of a sector located in a region considering internal and external components and economic and geographical aspects. The main novelty of this indicator is that the definition of “mass” takes into consideration intra and inter-sectoral effects. In fact, the new economic geography has shown that a sector takes advantage of being in a particular location through two main channels: the proximity to other firms in the sector (intra- sectoral effects) and spillover effects arising from the proximity to upstream and downstream sectors (inter-sectoral effects). The two effects will be considered in both the region of location of the sector under analysis and in the other regions related to it. The hypothesis is that the spatial centrality of a sector varies positively with geographic proximity to firms in the same economic sector and in other sectors connected by vertical linkages and negatively with inter-regional distance. The index allows a double reading: it is possible to identify the sectors in which the region has a higher degree of centrality and the regions with a greater degree of centrality in this sector. To illustrate the method, we include an example for the Portuguese economy at the county level (275 regional units).Apoio financeiro da Fundação para a Ciência e para a Tecnologia (PEst- OE/EGE/UI0315/2011 and PEsa-OE/EGE/UI0436/2011

Gender differences in occupational mobility: evidence from Portugal

In this paper we evaluate if gender influences the pattern of upward and downward occupational mobility. With data for Portugal in the period 1998-2009, we find that women have a lower probability of upward mobility and a higher probability of downward mobility. The results also reveal the importance of some other determinant factors, especially education and initial occupation. Additionally, considering an analysis by quartiles (taking as reference a ranking based on average wages), we confirm that the determinants of occupational mobility depend on the ranking of the initial occupation. This analysis allows us to conclude that the unfavorable pattern of occupational mobility in the case of women is due, essentially, to the disadvantage they have at the bottom of the distribution. On the contrary, in the top occupations, the results suggest the existence of equality between genders

Determinants of job quality — Evidence for European country groups

Based on a micro-level approach and using data from the European Working Conditions Survey, covering 27 countries, we analyse the determinants of job quality. With cluster analysis applied to 11 dimensional indices, we form three homogeneous country groups and identify, by estimating twice-censored Tobit models, the main determinant factors affecting the individual level of job quality in each group. We verify the relevance of variables related to worker characteristics, firm characteristics, and the country in which the individual works. Among worker characteristics, education and employment status are the factors with the highest impact on job quality, while the economic sector is the most important firm characteristic. The results suggest the existence of important differences among groups regarding the magnitude of the impact of some factors. The highest dissimilarities are found between the group with better jobs (Nordic countries plus Belgium) and the group with lower quality jobs (Central and Eastern European countries plus Portugal and Greece). Variables related to age, education, dimension of the firm, and economic sector are those in which more heterogeneity is found among the groups

Medindo pobreza, riqueza e desigualdade em saúde

Comunicação apresentada no VII Congresso Português de SociologiaA quantificação da desigualdade, da pobreza e, mais recentemente, da riqueza tem o seu espaço próprio na literatura económica. A aplicação de medidas tradicionais no contexto de avaliação da distribuição do rendimento pode ser desenvolvida com vantagem no contexto da avaliação empírica da saúde. A nossa principal contribuição para a literatura está na utilização desse tipo de medidas com base num índice de saúde susceptível de captar a multidimensionalidade do fenómeno. Ilustramos a aplicação das medidas de pobreza, riqueza e desigualdade em saúde ao caso português, usando dados do último Inquérito Nacional de Saúde (INS).The quantification of inequality, poverty and more recently wealth is well established in the economic literature. We can extend the application of usual income distribution measures to the empirical evaluation of health. Our main contribution to the literature is on employing such kind of measures with a health index capable of capturing the multidimensionality of the phenomenon. We illustrate the measuring of poverty, richness, and inequality in health to the Portuguese case using the last available National Health Survey (NHS)

Individual determinants of self-employment entry: what do we really know?

The analysis of the decision to enter into self-employment is a hot topic in economic literature. Among the elements that most directly influence this decision, individual factors are central. This study produces a comprehensive survey of the impact of these factors, covering both the theoretical arguments and the main conclusions emerging from the empirical studies. We analyze twelve critical determinant factors of the entry into self-employment grouped into seven categories: (i) basic individual characteristics (gender, age, and marital status and children); (ii) family background (parents and spouse); (iii) personality characteristics (risk attitude and other psychological traits); (iv) human capital (education and experience); (v) health condition; (vi) nationality and ethnicity; and (vii) access to financial resources. While for some of the factors solid conclusions can be found, for others additional research is still needed in order to shed further light on their influence

On the mental representation of (un)healthy tooth: (un)healthy tooth profiles among children

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)."Objectives: A descriptive study of exploratory character with the objective to determine the representation of a healthy tooth and an unhealthy tooth, associated with the concept of dental decay. Methods: Children of both genders (880), distributed in six age groups of low socio-economic level, some already having prior contact with the dentist and others not. Three instruments were used: a sociodemographic questionnaire, pictograms representation protocols and drawing content analysis grid. Results: Content analysis on the drawings indicates significant discrepancies, inherent to the pictorial profiles. Conclusion: The results point to the need of developing educative tools for oral health."Pierre Fabre Portuga