Suchergebnisse

Measures of inequality can be used to illustrate inequality between and within groups, but the choice of the appropriate measure can have different implications. This study focused on the Mean Logarithmic Deviation, the measure proposed by Theil and based on the techniques of statistical information theory. The MLD was selected because of its attractive properties: fulfillment of the principle of monotonicity and the possibility of additive decomposition. The following study objectives were formulated: (1) to assess the degree of inequality in the population and in the distinguished subgroups, (2) to determine the extent to which education and age influence the level of inequality, and (3) to ascertain what factors contribute to changes in the level of inequality in Poland. The study confirmed an association between the level of education and the average income of the groups distinguished on this basis. The education level of the household head remains an important determinant of household income inequality in Poland, despite the decline in the "educational bonus". The study also found that differences in the age of the household head had a smaller effect on income inequality than the level of education. However, it can be concluded that the higher share of older people may contribute to an increase in income inequality between groups, as the income from pension in Poland is more homogeneous than the income from work in younger groups. Moreover, the current paper seeks to situate Theil's approach in the context of scholarly writings since 1967.

Abstract

Research background: This paper analyses how different income sources affect the level of inequality in Poland, with focus on the role of family and children related allowances in decreasing income inequalities in 2015–2017. Therefore, the study has focused on the various subgroups of households with children.

Purpose: The paper is aimed at examining the extent to which family and children related allowances affect household income inequality and identifying whether they affect inequality in various groups of households in the same way.

Methodology: The study was carried out on micro-data gathered by Eurostat. To examine the extent to which different income components affect income inequality, we decompose the Gini coefficient according to the method introduced by Lerman and Yitzhaki.

Results: Our study revealed that for most households with children, the inequality-reducing effect due to family and children related allowances increased in 2017 compared to 2015. However, despite the additional child-raising benefit under the "Family 500+" programme, income taxes and social security contributions remained by far the most important factor in reducing household income inequalities in Poland.

Novelty: To our knowledge, no study has yet attempted to assess the extent to which family and child-allowances affect income inequality based on real data. The present analysis takes a step towards filling this gap. Unlike other studies based on microsimulation, in this paper we made use of the representative micro-data derived from the EU-SILC study.

The aim of the study is to verify the hypothesis of a tendency towards levelling of household income in the EU countries in the years 2007—2015. Convergence process of the level and the distribution of household disposable income was analysed. The basic source of information were Eurostat's data from EU-SILC database. The convergence analysis of income levels was carried out for the mean, median and first decile of annual equivalised household disposable incomes, weighted by country population. To examine their convergence, regression models used in economic convergence analyses were adapted and the concept of absolute ß convergence was used. In the study of income distributions convergence the income distribution in households by decile groups was used, and the degree of their discrepancy was assessed using the generalised form of the Jensen-Shannon divergence measure. The study was conducted for 27 EU countries, 15 of the old EU states and 12 new member states.
On the basis of the obtained results, it was concluded that there was no convergence of the distributions of income by quantiles. However, the convergence of the considered characteristics of income distributions (mean, median, first decile) was observed.

The article aims at examination of the shape of relationship between income inequality and the level of economic development measured by GDP per capita in 27 European Union countries in the period of 2004-2014. It also aims at identification of determinants of income inequality. Specifically, we test for the existence of an inverted U-shaped curve, as it is predicted by the standard Kuznets hypothesis, and J-shaped curve following the approach adopted by Deutsch and Silber (2004) and Anand and Kanbur (1993). The data come from Eurostat EU-SILC database (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions), World Bank and International Monetary Fund. In the EU-27 group of countries we contradict the Kuznets hypothesis – our results provide evidence for a U-shaped, rather than the inverted U relationship. It also follows from our analysis that our data cover only the descending part of the U, that is a shape of inverted J.

The aim of the article is to compare inequalities of the household disposable income in Poland and the UK. We analyse the Theil index for types of households in 2005 and 2014. We also aim at finding out how household types contribute to the level of overall income inequality in the UK and Poland. We calculate and decompose the Theil indices based on the equivalised disposable household income from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) database. We find that "two adults below 65 with no dependent children" household group is the main contributor to the overall Theil index in both countries. We also conclude that the between-group component of the Theil index decreases in Poland and increases in the UK and, in effect, in 2014, it is twice as high in the UK as in Poland.