Income Inequality Decomposition, Russia 1992-2002: Method and Application

Journal article | Zeitschriftenartikel

Decomposition methods for income inequality measures, such as the Gini index and the members of the Generalised Entropy family, are widely applied. Most methods decompose income inequality into a between (explained) and a within (unexplained) part, according to two or more population subgroups or income sources. In this article, we use a regression analysis for a lognormal distribution of personal income, modelling both the mean and the variance, decomposing the variance as a measure of income inequality, and apply the method to survey data from Russia spanning the first decade of market transition (1992-2002). For the first years of the transition, only a small part of the income inequality could be explained. Thereafter, between 1996 and 1999, a larger part (up to 40%) could be explained, and ‘winner’ and ‘loser’ categories of the transition could be spotted. Moving to the upper end of the income distribution, the self-employed won from the transition. The unemployed were among the losers.

Object Details

• ISSN: 1736-8758
• Extent: Seite(n): 21-34
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Status: Veröffentlichungsversion; begutachtet (peer reviewed)

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Studies of Transition States and Societies, 5(2)

Classification and Topics

• Subject: Wirtschaft ; Soziologie, Anthropologie ; Soziologie von Gesamtgesellschaften ; Volkswirtschaftstheorie ; Russland ; Transition ; Marktwirtschaft ; Einkommensunterschied ; Einkommensverteilung ; postkommunistische Gesellschaft

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Jansen, Wim ; Dessens, Jos ; Verhoven, Willem-Jan
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (when): 2013

Further information

• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-365254
• Rights: GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften. Bibliothek Köln
• Last update: 21.06.2024, 4:27 PM CEST