Income Inequality Ratio Research Articles

A comprehensive analysis of the societal impact of industrial diversity on sustainable economic development

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the interplay between industrial diversity and sustainable economic development in US counties.Design/methodology/approachAmong other popularly used measures, this study uses an underused measure, Hachman index, to gauge the degree of industrial diversity in the models. To capture the impact of industrial diversity on the local community, this study estimates the relationship of two diversity measures to four traditional socioeconomic indicators: per capita personal income growth, gross domestic product per worker, income inequality ratio and poverty rate.FindingsStatistical results suggest that industrial diversity, which is measured by Hachman index, is significantly related to the four socio-economic indicators. Industrial diversity can positively contribute to regional per capita personal income growth and mitigate income inequality and poverty stress; however, it is negatively related to the gross domestic product (GDP) per worker, which means industrial specialization may contribute to GDP per worker growth.Originality/valueThe findings of this study show that there is a nonlinear relationship between industrial diversity and all socioeconomic indicators. Most of the control variables, human capital variables and business and industry profile variables also display significant and positive impacts on economic development.

Measuring Preferences for Income Equality and Income Mobility

Abstract This paper quantifies preferences for income equality and mobility by generating statistics that are uncorrelated with beliefs and can be interpreted as marginal rates of substitution (MRS). All else constant, U.S. residents are willing to reduce average income by $2,744 to reduce the 90/10 income inequality ratio one unit and $1,228 to increase income mobility from the bottom quintile one percentage point. Democrats and Independents have similar preferences for both social variables, while Republicans have an MRS that is about two-thirds of Democrats and Independents for both income inequality and mobility.

Determinants of COVID-19 Case Fatality Rate in the United States: Spatial Analysis Over One Year of the Pandemic.

Background: The United States continues to account for the highest proportion of the global Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths. Currently, it is important to contextualize COVID-19 fatality to guide mitigation efforts.Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the ecological factors (policy, health behaviors, socio-economic, physical environment, and clinical care) associated with COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) in the United States.Methods: Data from the New York Times’ COVID-19 repository and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data (01/21/2020 - 02/27/2021) were used. County-level CFR was modeled using the Spatial Durbin model (SDM). The SDM estimates were decomposed into direct and indirect impacts.Results: The study found percent positive for COVID-19 (0.057% point), stringency index (0.014% point), percent diabetic (0.011% point), long-term care beds (log) (0.010% point), premature age-adjusted mortality (log) (0.702 % point), income inequality ratio (0.078% point), social association rate (log) (0.014% point), percent 65 years old and over (0.055% point), and percent African Americans (0.016% point) in a given county were positively associated with its COVID-19 CFR. The study also found food insecurity, long-term beds (log), mental health-care provider (log), workforce in construction, social association rate (log), and percent diabetic of a given county as well as neighboring county were associated with given county’s COVID-19 CFR, indicating significant externalities.Conclusion: The spatial models identified percent positive for COVID-19, stringency index, elderly, college education, race/ethnicity, residential segregation, premature mortality, income inequality, workforce composition, and rurality as important ecological determinants of the geographic disparities in COVID-19 CFR.

4309 Ascertaining the Medical Needs of Galveston County

4309 Ascertaining the Medical Needs of Galveston County

Identifying Preferences for Equal College Access, Income, and Income Equality

Revealed preferences for equal college access may be due to beliefs that equal access increases societal income or income equality. To isolate preferences for those goods, we implement an online discrete choice experiment using social statistics generated from true variation among commuting zones. We find that, ceteris paribus, the average income that individuals are willing to sacrifice is (1) $4,984 to increase higher education enrollment by 1 standard deviation (14 percent); (2) $1,168 to decrease rich/poor gaps in higher education enrollment by 1 standard deviation (8 percent); and (3) $2,900 to decrease the 90/10 income inequality ratio by 1 standard deviation (1.66). In addition, we find that political affiliation is an important moderator of preferences for equality. While both Democrats and Republicans are willing to trade over $4,000 to increase higher education enrollment by 1 standard deviation, Democrats are willing to sacrifice nearly three times more income to decrease either rich/poor gaps in higher education enrollment or the 90/10 income inequality ratio by 1 standard deviation.

Random effects clustering in multilevel modeling: choosing a proper partition

A novel criterion for estimating a latent partition of the observed groups based on the output of a hierarchical model is presented. It is based on a loss function combining the Gini income inequality ratio and the predictability index of Goodman and Kruskal in order to achieve maximum heterogeneity of random effects across groups and maximum homogeneity of predicted probabilities inside estimated clusters. The index is compared with alternative approaches in a simulation study and applied in a case study concerning the role of hospital level variables in deciding for a cesarean section.

The Impact of a Population-Based Screening Program on Income- and Immigration-Related Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Screening.

Background: A population-based program promoting the Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) for colorectal cancer screening was introduced in 2008 in Ontario, Canada, where opportunistic screening with colonoscopy had been increasing in frequency. We evaluated the impact of the program on income and immigration-related disparities in screening.Methods: We used linked administrative data to calculate colorectal cancer screening rates for eligible Ontarians in each year between 2001/02 (n = 2,852,619) and 2013/14 (n = 4,139,304). We quantified disparities using an "inequality ratio" of screening rates in the most disadvantaged group relative to the most advantaged group. We performed segmented logistic regression analyses stratified by screening modality and adjusted for age, sex, rurality, comorbidity, and morbidity.Results: Between 2001/02 and 2013/14, the income and immigration inequality ratios narrowed from 0.74 to 0.80 and 0.55 to 0.69, respectively. Before the screening program, the income inequality ratio was widening by 1% per year (95% CI 1% to 1%); in the year it was introduced, it narrowed by 4% (95% CI 2% to 7%) and in the years following, it remained stable [0% decrease (95% CI 1% decrease to 0% decrease) per year]. Results were similar for immigration-related disparities. After program introduction, disparities in receiving FOBT were narrowing at a faster rate while disparities in receiving colonoscopy were widening at a slower rate.Conclusions: Introduction of a population-based screening program promoting FOBT for colorectal cancer was associated with only modest improvements in immigration and income-related disparities.Impact: Reducing immigration and income-related disparities should be a focus for future research and policy work. Disparities in Ontario seem to be driven by a higher uptake of colonoscopy among more advantaged groups. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(9); 1401-10. ©2017 AACR.

Identifying Preferences for Equal Educational Opportunity, Income, and Income Equality

Revealed preferences for equal educational opportunity may be due to beliefs that opportunities increase societal income or income equality. To isolate preferences for those goods, we implement an online discrete choice experiment using social statistics generated from true variation among commuting zones. We find that, ceteris paribus, the average income that individuals are willing to sacrifice is (i) $5,208 dollars to increase higher education (HE) enrollment by 1 standard deviation (14%); (ii) $1,408 dollars to decrease rich/poor gaps in HE enrollment by 1 standard deviation (8%); (iii) $3,298 to decrease the 90/10 income inequality ratio by 1 standard deviation (1.66).

A new approach to the decomposition of the Gini income inequality ratio

A new approach to the decomposition of the Gini income inequality ratio