Causes Of Inequality Research Articles

Factors Affecting Income Distribution in High-Income Countries

The study reveals the causes of inequality of income distribution in high-income countries. In the research, the macroeconomic factors affecting income distribution such as economic growth rate, inflation, unemployment, globalization, technology and public revenues are considered as independent variables. The gini coefficient, which is one of the methods of measuring income inequality, is considered as dependent variable. Dummy variable is also included as an independent variable to the model to eliminate the effects of the global crisis that started in the United States in 2008 and spread all over the world. In the study, which is based on the 2008-2015 period, high-income countries are considered and the factors affecting income distribution are examined by panel data analysis. According to the findings of analysis, it is seen that inflation, economic growth, unemployment and public revenues increase income inequality in high income countries and economic globalization contributes to the improvement of income distribution in these countries. The shadow variable added to the model is also statistically significant. This shows that the crisis has a negative effect on income distribution in high-income countries.

Discourse on culture in research on immigrant and migrant workers' health.

Health and safety researchers and practitioners have proposed that cultural differences help explain inequalities between foreign and native-born workers. While cultural explanations for inequalities have long been debated in other fields, there exists little critique of cultural discourses in occupational health. This article examines and discusses the discourse on culture in 107 articles on immigrant or migrant workers' health published between 2011 and 2015. For each article, passages on culture were identified and analysed for both the context and the manner in which culture was discussed. The discourse on culture was found to be generally simplistic, individualistic, and uncritical, intentionally or unintentionally supporting the worldview that workers' "otherness" is both cause of inequalities and target for interventions. The article argues that empirical, theoretical and interdisciplinary work is needed to document the mechanisms and pathways that underlie health and safety inequalities by foreign-born status.

Socioeconomic inequality in the provision of health advice in dental setting in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

ObjectiveTo assess socioeconomic inequalities in health advice provided in dental setting. MethodsData were from the Adult Dental Health Survey, 2009 of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Index of Multiple Deprivation, occupational classification and education were used to assess differences in advice on diet, oral hygiene and dental visits using logistic regression. ResultsThe analysis included 6279 participants with complete data. There were significant socioeconomic inequalities in all health advice provided in dental setting. Those with a higher level of education had significant odds ratios of 1.36 (1.06–1.75), 1.40 (1.15–1.70), and 1.82 (1.47–2.25) for having advice on diet, dental visits and oral hygiene, respectively compared to those with lower education. ConclusionInequalities in health advice in the dental setting resemble inequalities in oral health. This implies that those who are most likely to need behaviour-related advice do not receive it. Health policies should address the underpinning causes of inequalities in health advice. Practice implicationsGrowing evidence supports the importance of health advice given in dental practice. More time and greater resources should be allocated for comprehensive health advice particularly to the socially disadvantaged to reduce inequalities and subsequently promoting health-related behaviours.

Educational Differences among Members of U.S. Catholic Religious Institutes: Evidence for Assessing Racial-Ethnic Perspectives on Racism

A growing body of theological and social science research is examining basic problems of racism within the Catholic Church. The author investigates whether educational differences among new members of Catholic religious institutes vary by race or ethnicity and whether this is indicative of racial or ethnic discrimination. The literature review examines the belief systems that underpin what people believe about the causes of inequality. Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to believe that social structures cause inequality. Whites are more likely to believe that individual efforts cause inequality. The author’s data come from a U.S. national survey of new members of Catholic religious institutes. Blacks and Hispanics had lower levels of education than Whites or Asians when they entered their institute (time one). They also had lower levels of education when they took the survey (time two). However, there are no significant differences between Blacks and Hispanics in educational level acquired as a member of their institute compared to Whites. This article explains the subtlety of racism in religious institutes and suggests that religious institutes recruit more people of color.

Assessing socioeconomic inequalities in the reduction of child stunting in sub-Saharan Africa

Health and nutrition in early childhood are essential for survival, growth and adult life outcomes. As such, a number of global and national interventions have been pursued to improve early childhood health and nutrition. However, child malnutrition is pervasive and endemic across the sub Saharan Africa. This paper therefore assesses the nature and trends of socioeconomic inequalities in child stunting. The paper proceeds to decompose the causes of such socioeconomic-related inequalities over the period covered. We used data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) for ten sub-Saharan African countries conducted between 2000 and 2016. The study employs an extension to the concentration index for binary health outcomes to measure socioeconomic inequalities in stunting and decompose the causes of inequalities in stunting using a generalized decomposition technique based on recentered influence function regressions. The results show substantial pro-rich inequalities in child stunting across sub-Saharan Africa. The incidence of stunting are concentrated among children living in households with low socioeconomic status. In spite of persistent declines in the prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years across the study countries since 2000, trends in socioeconomic inequalities in stunting are mixed. We find significant contributions of child, maternal, and household characteristics to inequalities in child stunting. The results suggest that there is the need to design and target nutrition-based interventions at children in low socioeconomic households. In addition, promoting female education and improving access to health and nutrition information will be key to improving child nutrition across the region.

Educational policies and social inequality in well-being among young adults

Inequalities in health and well-being are important contemporary public health issues. This article is the first to investigate the institutional causes of inequality in well-being among youth in a comparative perspective. Data from the European Social Survey are used to analyse how educational policies moderate the association between social background and well-being. Multilevel techniques are used to investigate cross-level interactions between social background and educational policies on life satisfaction. Four indicators of inclusive educational policies are analysed: age of tracking, costs of education, enrolment rates, and second-chance opportunities in the educational system. The results show that educational policies indeed moderate the association between social background and well-being: inequalities as measured by the father’s social class are smaller in countries where educational policies are more inclusive. Moreover, the analysis shows that the moderating impact of education policies is mediated by individual-level education, activity status, and income.

Trends and causes of socioeconomic inequalities in maternal healthcare in Ghana, 2003–2014

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the trends of socioeconomic-related inequalities in maternal healthcare utilization in Ghana between 2003 and 2014 and examine the causes of inequalities in maternal healthcare utilization in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachData are drawn from three rounds of the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey collected in 2003, 2008 and 2014, respectively. The authors employ two alternative measures of socioeconomic inequalities in health – the Wagstaff and Erreygers indices – to examine the trends of socioeconomic inequalities in maternal healthcare utilization. The authors proceed to decompose the causes of inequalities in maternal healthcare by applying a recently developed generalized decomposition technique based on recentered influence function regressions.FindingsThe study finds substantial pro-rich inequalities in maternal healthcare utilization in Ghana. The degree of inequalities has been decreasing since 2003. The elimination of user fees for maternal healthcare has contributed to achieving equity and inclusion in utilization. The decomposition analysis reveals significant contributions of individual, household and locational characteristics to inequalities in maternal healthcare. The authors find that educational attainment, urban residence and challenges with physical access to healthcare facilities increase the socioeconomic gap in maternal healthcare utilization.Originality/valueThere is a need to target vulnerable women who are unlikely to utilize maternal healthcare services. In addition to the elimination of user fees, there is a need to reduce inequalities in the distribution and quality of maternal health services to achieve universal coverage in Ghana.

Developing physical activity interventions for children with a visual impairment: Lessons from the First Steps initiative

Children with a visual impairment are less active than their sighted peers. Yet, they are born with the potential to match their sighted peers’ motor skill competency and levels of physical fitness. Environmental barriers are one of the main causes of inequities. This article provides insight on these issues, drawing upon a physical activity intervention called ‘First Steps’, a British Blind Sport initiative that aimed to get more children with a visual impairment more active. Physical activity packs were delivered to 53 children, aged 5–15 years, with a visual impairment. Of these participants, 62% had additional impairments or medical conditions. A mixed-methods approach was used to gather participants’ experiences of physical activity prior to receiving this pack and canvas opinion on how the pack changed their activity levels. The findings revealed inequitable experiences of physical activity. The First Steps pack made considerable progress in developing children’s physical activity levels. Participants’ motor skills, social interactions, and confidence improved. Organisations working with this population might look to adopt a similar concept. Recommendations for those wishing to do so are provided.

Measurement and decomposition of income-related inequality in self-rated health among the elderly in China

BackgroundPopulation ageing in China has brought increasing attention to the health inequalities of the elderly. The purpose of this paper is to measure income-related health inequality among the elderly in China and decompose its causes.MethodsThe data are from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) survey in 2013, which contains 6176 individuals aged 60 years and above. A multiple linear regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of self-rated health (SRH) among the elder people. Furthermore, the corrected concentration index were used to measure income-related health inequality. Wagstaff-type decomposition analysis was employed to explore the cause of inequality. The measurement and decomposition of health inequality was also performed separately in the male and female subgroups.ResultsMost elderly declared their health status as “fair” (51.33%) or “poor” (21.88%). Income, gender, residence, region, health insurance and other factors had significant association with SRH (P < 0.05). The corrected concentration index (CCI) was 0.06, indicating pro-rich inequality in health among the elderly. Decomposition analyses revealed that the main contributors to health inequality included income, residence, region, health insurance, and employment. For female elderly, most of the inequality was due to residence (50.78%) and income (49.51%); for male elderly, most of the inequality was due to insurance (38.65%) and income (22.26%); for the total sample, employment had a negative contribution to health inequality (− 25.83%).ConclusionThe findings confirm a high proportion of elderly with poor SRH, and health inequality in the Chinese. Some socioeconomic strategies should be conducted to reduce this health inequality among the elderly, such as reducing income disparities, consolidating health insurance schemes, and narrowing urban-rural and regional gaps. Older females with low incomes in rural areas are a vulnerable subgroup and warrant targeted policy attention.

Differing Views of Equity: How Prospective Educators Perceive Their Role in Closing Achievement Gaps.

Hiring is an opportunity for school districts to find educators with values and beliefs that align with district goals. Yet beliefs are difficult to measure. We use administrative data from more than ten thousand applications to certificated positions in an urban California school district in which applicants submitted essays about closing achievement gaps. Using structural topic modeling (STM) to code these essays, we examine whether applicants systematically differ in their use of these themes and whether themes predict hiring outcomes. Relative to white applicants, Hispanic and African American applicants are more likely to identify structural causes of inequities and discuss educators’ responsibilities for addressing inequality. Similar differences in themes emerge between applicants to schools with different student populations. Techniques like STM can decipher hard-to-measure beliefs from administrative data, providing valuable information for hiring and decision making.

Income inequality in transition economies: A comparative analysis of Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia

This paper investigates the relationship between income inequality and different welfare state trajectories that three countries of the former Yugoslavia ?south of the Alps? have taken over the three decades since the breakup of the country in 1990. It is remarkable that three countries emerging from a common (socialist) system have experienced diametrically opposing outcomes regarding inequality. Slovenia has one of the lowest levels of income inequality in Europe, Croatia an average level of inequality, and Serbia one of the highest levels. The paper first examines the extent and nature of income inequality in the three countries before examining the determining causes of inequality, rooted in the evaluation of labour markets, education systems, and tax-benefit systems. It concludes that the divergent transition paths have created the different inequality outcomes observed in the three countries. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color="red"&gt;&lt;b&gt; This article has been corrected. Link to the correction &lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/EKA2024129E"&gt;10.2298/EKA2024129E&lt;/a&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;

„Vidinės kolonizacijos“ teorija ir jos taikymas (post)sovietinių visuomenių lyginamiesiems tyrimams

This article discusses a direction of sociocultural studies – the cultural history of natural resources – and the possibilities of its application in examining the causes of inequality and social exclusion in post-Soviet Lithuania. This theoretical-methodological approach assumes a strong interdependence shared between the extraction of natural resources, a state’s political system and institutions as well as certain sociocultural provisions. In exploring the concept of “internal colonization,” developed by historian of culture Alexander Etkind and other authors, this article sets guidelines for a comparative analysis of the sociopolitical structure of post-Soviet countries (especially Russia and Lithuania). Some initial hypotheses regarding the trends, differences, and similarities of post-Soviet societies in the long historical perspective, from the 16th century up to our time, are presented for further analysis. This article concludes that this methodological approach could be sufficiently promising in explaining the specifics of the socioeconomic development of independent Lithuania, in particular by applying the hypothesis of a “secondary internal colonization,” which has been raised during the course of the investigation.

Концепции и модели в социалната политика (Concepts and Models in Social Policy)

Bulgarian Abstract: Социалната политика на дадена държава е съвкупност от специфични дейности, които целят да регулират социалните отношения между различни по своето социално положение субекти. Този подход към изясняването на социалната политика, разглежда социалната политика като дейност за регулиране на отношенията на равенство или неравенство в обществото. Той дава възможност да се търсят неравенства в икономическите позиции на индивидите във връзка със собствеността, труда и условията за труд, разпределението на доходите и потреблението, социалното осигуряване и здравеопазването, да се търсят източниците за тези неравенства и тяхната социална оправданост или неоправданост. Съвременната държава поема социални функции, чрез които се стреми да регулира дисбалансите, да защитава слабите социални позиции и да не позволява разпадането на обществената система. Тя регулира процесите в обществото, като хармонизира интересите и се противопоставя на маргинализацията. Всяка модерна държава развива социални дейности, които отразяват особеностите на конкретното общество, съответстват на неговото икономическо, политическо и културно състояние. Плод са на политически решения, целящи да насочват и регулират процеса на адаптация на националното общество към трансформациите на пазарната среда. Социалната политика стои в основата на развитието и управлението на всяка страна. Независимо от това, че върху нея оказват влияние твърде голям брой фактори и проблеми, то тя до голяма степен определя физическото и психичното състояние на населението, както и взаимоотношенията и взаимовръзките между хората. От друга страна, социалната политика дава възможност за по-глобално изучаване и решаване на жизнено важни социални проблеми на гражданското общество. На базата на програмите и действията на политическите партии и на държавните органи се очертават насоките за развитие на обществото. Социалната политика следва да се разглежда като дейност за регулиране отношенията на равенство или неравенство между различните индивиди и социални групи в обществото. Нейното значение се определя от възможността на базата на комплексния подход да се установят: икономически позиции на различните социални групи и индивиди, като се определят различията между тях по отношение на доходи, потребление, условия на труд, здравеопазване и др; да се разкрият причините за неравенството; да се търсят конкретни и специфични мерки за преодоляване на възникналите социални различия. English Abstract: The social policy of a country is a set of specific activities aimed at regulating the social relations between different in their social status subjects. This approach to clarifying social policy is also called functional and essentially addresses social policy as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality in society. It provides an opportunity to look for inequalities in the economic positions of individuals in relation to ownership, labor and working conditions, distribution of income and consumption, social security and health, to look for the sources of these inequalities and their social justification or undue application. The modern state takes on social functions that seek to regulate imbalances, to protect weak social positions and prevent the disintegration of the social system. It regulates the processes in society by harmonizing interests and opposing marginalization. Every modern country develops social activities that reflect the specifics of a particular society, correspond to its economic, political and cultural status. They are the result of political decisions aimed at directing and regulating the process of adaptation of the national society to the transformations of the market environment. Social policy is at the heart of the development and governance of each country. Despite the fact that too many factors and problems affect it, it largely determines the physical and mental state of the population as well as the relationships and interrelationships between people. On the other hand, social policy allows for a more global study and solving of vital social problems of civil society. On the basis of the programs and actions of political parties and state bodies, the guidelines for the development of society are outlined. Social policy should be seen as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality between different individuals and social groups in society. Its importance is determined by the possibility of establishing on the basis of the complex approach: the economic positions of the different social groups and individuals, by determining the differences between them in terms of income, consumption, working conditions, health, etc .; to explain the causes of inequality; to look for concrete and specific measures to overcome the emerging social disparities.

CONCEPTS AND MODELS IN SOCIAL POLICY

The social policy of a country is a set of specific activities aimed at regulating the social relations between different in their social status subjects. This approach to clarifying social policy is also called functional and essentially addresses social policy as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality in society. It provides an opportunity to look for inequalities in the economic positions of individuals in relation to ownership, labor and working conditions, distribution of income and consumption, social security and health, to look for the sources of these inequalities and their social justification or undue application.The modern state takes on social functions that seek to regulate imbalances, to protect weak social positions and prevent the disintegration of the social system. It regulates the processes in society by harmonizing interests and opposing marginalization. Every modern country develops social activities that reflect the specifics of a particular society, correspond to its economic, political and cultural status. They are the result of political decisions aimed at directing and regulating the process of adaptation of the national society to the transformations of the market environment. Social policy is at the heart of the development and governance of each country. Despite the fact that too many factors and problems affect it, it largely determines the physical and mental state of the population as well as the relationships and interrelationships between people. On the other hand, social policy allows for a more global study and solving of vital social problems of civil society. On the basis of the programs and actions of political parties and state bodies, the guidelines for the development of society are outlined. Social policy should be seen as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality between different individuals and social groups in society. Its importance is determined by the possibility of establishing on the basis of the complex approach: the economic positions of the different social groups and individuals, by determining the differences between them in terms of income, consumption, working conditions, health, etc .; to explain the causes of inequality; to look for concrete and specific measures to overcome the emerging social disparities.

SOCIAL POLICY DEVELOPLMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF 21ST CENTURY

The social policy of a country is a set of specific activities aimed at regulating the social relations between different in their social status subjects. This approach to clarifying social policy is also called functional and essentially addresses social policy as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality in society. It provides an opportunity to look for inequalities in the economic positions of individuals in relation to ownership, labor and working conditions, distribution of income and consumption, social security and health, to look for the sources of these inequalities and their social justification or undue application.The modern state takes on social functions that seek to regulate imbalances, to protect weak social positions and prevent the disintegration of the social system. It regulates the processes in society by harmonizing interests and opposing marginalization. Every modern country develops social activities that reflect the specifics of a particular society, correspond to its economic, political and cultural status. They are the result of political decisions aimed at directing and regulating the process of adaptation of the national society to the transformations of the market environment. Social policy is at the heart of the development and governance of each country. Despite the fact that too many factors and problems affect it, it largely determines the physical and mental state of the population as well as the relationships and interrelationships between people. On the other hand, social policy allows for a more global study and solving of vital social problems of civil society. On the basis of the programs and actions of political parties and state bodies, the guidelines for the development of society are outlined. Social policy should be seen as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality between different individuals and social groups in society. Its importance is determined by the possibility of establishing on the basis of the complex approach: the economic positions of the different social groups and individuals, by determining the differences between them in terms of income, consumption, working conditions, health, etc .; to explain the causes of inequality; to look for concrete and specific measures to overcome the emerging social disparities.

STAGES IN SOCIAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT

The social policy of a country is a set of specific activities aimed at regulating the social relations between different in their social status subjects. This approach to clarifying social policy is also called functional and essentially addresses social policy as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality in society. It provides an opportunity to look for inequalities in the economic positions of individuals in relation to ownership, labor and working conditions, distribution of income and consumption, social security and health, to look for the sources of these inequalities and their social justification or undue application.The modern state takes on social functions that seek to regulate imbalances, to protect weak social positions and prevent the disintegration of the social system. It regulates the processes in society by harmonizing interests and opposing marginalization. Every modern country develops social activities that reflect the specifics of a particular society, correspond to its economic, political and cultural status. They are the result of political decisions aimed at directing and regulating the process of adaptation of the national society to the transformations of the market environment. Social policy is at the heart of the development and governance of each country. Despite the fact that too many factors and problems affect it, it largely determines the physical and mental state of the population as well as the relationships and interrelationships between people. On the other hand, social policy allows for a more global study and solving of vital social problems of civil society. On the basis of the programs and actions of political parties and state bodies, the guidelines for the development of society are outlined. Social policy should be seen as an activity to regulate the relationship of equality or inequality between different individuals and social groups in society. Its importance is determined by the possibility of establishing on the basis of the complex approach: the economic positions of the different social groups and individuals, by determining the differences between them in terms of income, consumption, working conditions, health, etc .; to explain the causes of inequality; to look for concrete and specific measures to overcome the emerging social disparities.

Does Inequality Cause a Difference in Altruism Between the Rich and the Poor? Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment

Increasing research evidence indicates that economic inequality leads the rich to be less generous than the poor. While compelling, the underling mechanism of the finding remains elusive. We conduct a laboratory experiment to investigate how inequality influences people’s behavior in a sharing game. We test varying causes of inequality to see how people share payoffs with others when inequality is caused respectively by chance, competition, and choice. The experiment result shows that the rich give less than the poor only when inequality is self-chosen. Yet, different from findings in previous studies, increasing inequality does not reinforce, but instead mitigates the negative relationship of income and giving. Our study suggests that research on the consequences of inequality should be careful on discerning whether self-choice of inequality could account for the spurious effect of inequality on people’s prosocial behavior.

The Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Access to Health Services in Turkey: A Logit Analysis

This study aims to determine the causes of inequalities in health and to analyze which socio-economic factors are effective on access to health services, by examining the Turkish case. In the analysis, The Turkey Health Survey 2012 micro data from TurkStat and Binary Logistic Regression Method were used. According to the analysis, it is determined that individuals who have lower education and income level are more likely to state poor health status. Also, it is observed that lower education and income level also means lower likelihood of accessing health care and this poses a significant problem against equity. However, income level becomes insignificant on access to healthcare with the sample of individuals stating poor health, probably as a result of increased health insurance coverage by the General Health Insurance Reform.

Fundamental causes of inequalities in diabetes management outcomes: a qualitative analysis

Fundamental causes of inequalities in diabetes management outcomes: a qualitative analysis

Repensando el principio de igualdad: alcances de la igualdad real

En este trabajo me dedicaré a trabajar las “distintas” concepciones de igualdad que surgen, en general, de la normativa constitucional y convencional. Esto me permitirá caracterizar dos concepciones de igualdad. Una, la igualdad jurídica, más cercana a la del pensamiento liberal clásico, de cariz individualista y que es predominante en la discusión y aplicación del principio de igualdad pero que sin embargo, se torna insuficiente ante situaciones estructurales de discriminación. La otra concepción de igualdad, igualdad real, más cercana a los reclamos estructurales, está surgiendo en forma incipiente, considerando las situaciones de subordinación en que se encuentran ciertos grupos y la necesidad de realizar acciones a fin de erradicar la situación de sometimiento. Esta concepción de igualdad exige analizar la forma en que pueden paliarse estas situaciones de desigualdad. En este sentido, abordaré las implicancias de las acciones positivas, reparadoras y transformadoras desde la redistribución, el reconocimiento y la paridad participativa.