Zooming In : From Aggregate Volatility to Income Distribution
In contrast with a growing literature on the drivers of aggregate volatility in developing countries, its consequences in terms of individual incomes have received less attention. This paper looks at the impact of cyclical output fluctuations and e...
Main Authors: | , |
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Language: | English |
Published: |
2012
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090406142645 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4088 |
Summary: | In contrast with a growing literature on
the drivers of aggregate volatility in developing countries,
its consequences in terms of individual incomes have
received less attention. This paper looks at the impact of
cyclical output fluctuations and extreme output events
(crises) on unemployment, poverty, and inequality. The
authors find robust evidence that aggregate volatility has a
regressive, asymmetric, and non linear impact, as reflected
in the strong influence of extreme output drops. The
findings show that, in addition to the mitigating role of
personal wealth, public expenditure and labor protection
exert a similar benign effect. These findings are in line
with the income substitutions view of social safety nets,
and cast a new light on the value of social programs and
labor market regulation in crisis prone developing countries. |
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