Has globalisation increased inequality?

Arbeitspapier

There has been no shortage of theories which purport to explain why globalisation may have, adverse, insignificant or even beneficial effects on income and earnings inequality. Surprisingly, the empirical realities remain an almost complete mystery. In this paper we use data on industrial wage inequality, household income inequality as well as measures of the economic, social and political dimensions of globalisation to examine this controversial issue. We find that the economic dimension of globalisation, and - less robustly - political integration, have exacerbated wage inequality in developed countries. In contrast, the impact of globalisation on both income and earnings inequality in less-developed countries has been negligible.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: KOF Working Papers ; No. 140

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; International Economic Order and Integration ; Distribution: General ; Comparative Studies of Countries ; Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Macroeconomic Data; Data Access
• Subject: Income and earnings inequality ; globalisation ; democracy ; panel regressions ; Globalisierung ; Einkommensverteilung ; Demokratie ; Schätzung

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Dreher, Axel ; Gaston, Noel
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): ETH Zurich, KOF Swiss Economic Institute
• (where): Zurich
• (when): 2006

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.3929/ethz-a-005229541
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/50823
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET