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Social Welfare Functions and Development pp 139–190Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Income Inequality and Social Well-Being

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Abstract

That inequality matters is gaining ground in development affairs. Reducing income disparities across the population is on top of the agenda of many governments today. High inequality may imply a large concentration of people either at the top or at the bottom of the distribution, thereby hollowing out the middle-income group. This can create social tension in society that may result in political instability and social conflicts.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Kakwani (2000) developed a decomposition method that explains changes in poverty in terms of growth and inequality effects.

  2. 2.

    Kakwani (1981, 1986) developed welfare measures that account for the income distribution of the population.

  3. 3.

    Using the idea of equivalent length of life, Silber (1983) developed an inequality measure in the distribution of number of years lived by individuals. This is an innovative approach, accounting for the distribution of length of life enjoyed by individuals in a society.

  4. 4.

    The Atlas is available on the site http://www.atlasbrasil.org.br/2013/

  5. 5.

    Deutsch et al. (2015) have used the questionnaire and data from the Afrobarometer survey to develop indicators for different dimensions of well-being.

  6. 6.

    See Kakwani (1993).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Nanak Kakwani

  2. Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines

    Hyun Hwa Son

Authors
  1. Nanak Kakwani
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  2. Hyun Hwa Son
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Appendix

Appendix

6.1.1 Regression Estimates

Table A6.1 Dependent variable = achievement in life expectancy at birth
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Table A6.2 Dependent variable = achievement in infant survival rate
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Table A6.3 Dependent variable = achievement in child survival rate
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Table A6.4 Dependent variable = achievement in adult literacy rate among people ages 15 and above
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Table A6.5 Dependent variable = achievement in expected years of schooling for 18 year-olds
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Table A6.6 Dependent variable = achievement in percentage of population ages 18 and above who completed high school
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Table A6.7 Dependent variable = achievement in percentage of population ages 25 and above who completed higher education
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Table A6.8 Dependent variable = achievement in percentage of children ages 11–14 attending school
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Table A6.9 Dependent variable = achievement in percentage of children ages 15–17 attending school
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Table A6.10 Dependent variable = achievement in percentage of youth ages 18–24 attending school
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Table A6.11 Dependent variable = achievement in percentage of population with access to piped water
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Table A6.12 Dependent variable = achievement in percentage of population with access to sanitary toilet
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Table A6.13 Dependent variable = achievement in percentage of population with access to garbage collection
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Table A6.14 Dependent variable = achievement in percentage of population with access to electricity
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Table A6.15 Dependent variable = achievement in percentage of population with access to adequate sanitation
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Table A6.16 Dependent variable = achievement in employment rate among people ages 18 and above
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Table A6.17 Dependent variable = achievement in employment rate with formal contracts among people ages 18 and above
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Table A6.18 Dependent variable = achievement in productive employment rate among people ages 18 and above
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Table A6.19 Dependent variable = achievement in labor force participation rate among people ages 18 and above
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Kakwani, N., Son, H.H. (2016). Income Inequality and Social Well-Being. In: Social Welfare Functions and Development. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58325-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58325-3_6

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