Top expenditure distribution in Arab countries and the inequality puzzle1

Q3 Social Sciences Journal of Economic and Social Measurement Pub Date : 2020-05-20 DOI:10.3233/jem-200469
V. Hlasny
{"title":"Top expenditure distribution in Arab countries and the inequality puzzle1","authors":"V. Hlasny","doi":"10.3233/jem-200469","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This study was motivated by reports of a mismatch between inequality experienced on the streets across the Arab region, and that estimated in household expenditure surveys. The study uses eleven surveys from Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan and Tunisia to investigate whether the dispersion of top expenditures and measurement errors in them bias the measurement of inequality. The expenditure distributions are corrected by replacing potentially mismeasured values with those drawn from parametric distributions. Across all surveys, expenditure inequality is found to be at or below that found in emerging countries worldwide. The Gini is consistently 0.30–0.32 in Egypt, 0.35–0.37 in Jordan, and 0.38–0.43 in Palestine, Sudan and Tunisia. Several surveys include outliers raising inequality estimates. The Egyptian, Palestinian, and Tunisian surveys exhibit smoother top tails of expenditures, approximable by parametric distributions. Across years leading up to the Arab Spring, the estimates in these countries show falling inequality, suggesting that data problems are not behind the Arab inequality puzzle.","PeriodicalId":53705,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Economic and Social Measurement","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2020-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3233/jem-200469","citationCount":"6","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Economic and Social Measurement","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3233/jem-200469","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Social Sciences","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 6

Abstract

This study was motivated by reports of a mismatch between inequality experienced on the streets across the Arab region, and that estimated in household expenditure surveys. The study uses eleven surveys from Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan and Tunisia to investigate whether the dispersion of top expenditures and measurement errors in them bias the measurement of inequality. The expenditure distributions are corrected by replacing potentially mismeasured values with those drawn from parametric distributions. Across all surveys, expenditure inequality is found to be at or below that found in emerging countries worldwide. The Gini is consistently 0.30–0.32 in Egypt, 0.35–0.37 in Jordan, and 0.38–0.43 in Palestine, Sudan and Tunisia. Several surveys include outliers raising inequality estimates. The Egyptian, Palestinian, and Tunisian surveys exhibit smoother top tails of expenditures, approximable by parametric distributions. Across years leading up to the Arab Spring, the estimates in these countries show falling inequality, suggesting that data problems are not behind the Arab inequality puzzle.
查看原文
分享 分享
微信好友 朋友圈 QQ好友 复制链接
本刊更多论文
阿拉伯国家的最高支出分配和不平等令人困惑
这项研究的动机是阿拉伯地区街头经历的不平等与家庭支出调查中估计的不匹配的报告。这项研究使用了来自埃及、约旦、巴勒斯坦、苏丹和突尼斯的11项调查,以调查最高支出的分散程度及其测量误差是否会影响对不平等的测量。通过用从参数分布中得出的值取代潜在的错误测量值来纠正支出分布。在所有调查中,发现支出不平等程度等于或低于全球新兴国家的水平。埃及的基尼系数一直为0.30 - 0.32,约旦为0.35 - 0.37,巴勒斯坦、苏丹和突尼斯为0.38 - 0.43。几项调查包括提高不平等估计的异常值。埃及、巴勒斯坦和突尼斯的调查显示支出的顶端尾部较为平滑,近似于参数分布。在阿拉伯之春之前的几年里,这些国家的估计显示不平等程度在下降,这表明数据问题并不是阿拉伯不平等之谜的背后。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 去求助
来源期刊
Journal of Economic and Social Measurement
Journal of Economic and Social Measurement Social Sciences-Social Sciences (all)
CiteScore
1.60
自引率
0.00%
发文量
4
期刊介绍: The Journal of Economic and Social Measurement (JESM) is a quarterly journal that is concerned with the investigation of all aspects of production, distribution and use of economic and other societal statistical data, and with the use of computers in that context. JESM publishes articles that consider the statistical methodology of economic and social science measurements. It is concerned with the methods and problems of data distribution, including the design and implementation of data base systems and, more generally, computer software and hardware for distributing and accessing statistical data files. Its focus on computer software also includes the valuation of algorithms and their implementation, assessing the degree to which particular algorithms may yield more or less accurate computed results. It addresses the technical and even legal problems of the collection and use of data, legislation and administrative actions affecting government produced or distributed data files, and similar topics. The journal serves as a forum for the exchange of information and views between data producers and users. In addition, it considers the various uses to which statistical data may be put, particularly to the degree that these uses illustrate or affect the properties of the data. The data considered in JESM are usually economic or social, as mentioned, but this is not a requirement; the editorial policies of JESM do not place a priori restrictions upon the data that might be considered within individual articles. Furthermore, there are no limitations concerning the source of the data.
期刊最新文献
Measuring the US employment situation using online panels: The Yale Labor Survey Revisiting taste change in cost-of-living measurement Assessing the potential for nonresponse bias and measurement concordance in the clinical preventive services self-administered questionnaire survey1 An improved definition of official excess winter mortality statistics as the basis for detailed analysis and monitoring Extending Current Population Survey Linkages: Obstacles and Solutions for Linking Monthly Data from 1976 to 1988.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
现在去查看 取消
×
提示
确定
0
微信
客服QQ
Book学术公众号 扫码关注我们
反馈
×
意见反馈
请填写您的意见或建议
请填写您的手机或邮箱
已复制链接
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
×
扫码分享
扫码分享
Book学术官方微信
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术
文献互助 智能选刊 最新文献 互助须知 联系我们:info@booksci.cn
Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。
Copyright © 2023 Book学术 All rights reserved.
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号 京ICP备2023020795号-1