Trends In Inequality Research Articles

Trends in Socioeconomic Inequalities in Breast Cancer Incidence Among Women in Canada.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females in Canada. This study examines trends in socioeconomic inequalities in the incidence of breast cancer in Canada over time from 1992 to 2010. A census division level dataset was constructed using the Canadian Cancer Registry, Canadian Census of the Population and National Household Survey. A summary measure of the Concentration index (C), which captures inequality across socioeconomic groups, was used to measure income and education inequalities in breast cancer incidence over the 19-year period. The crude breast cancer incidence increased in Canada between 1992 and 2010. Age-standardized C values indicated no income or education inequalities in breast cancer incidence in the years from 1992 to 2004. However, the incidence was significantly concentrated among females in high income and highly educated neighbourhoods almost half the time in the 6 most recent years (2005-2010). The trend analysis indicated an increase in breast cancer incidence among females living in high income and highly educated neighbourhoods. Breast cancer incidence in Canada was associated with increased socioeconomic status in some more recent years. Our study findings provide previously unavailable empirical evidence to inform discussions on socioeconomic inequalities in breast incidence.

Two possible methods of examining environmental load at macro and micro levels

The concept of carbon footprint and the application of the calculation methods thereof have become part of the discourse on sustainable economy. Measuring CO2 emissions at macrolevels has become more important in the field of environment and economy in the 21st century. Determining the local environmental impact of microeconomic actors has also come to the fore. This study uses the timeseries data analysis method at two levels. At the macro level, the disparity of distribution of GDP produced and the associated CO2 emissions by continent are analysed, and the study seeks to answer the question whether there is an increasing or decreasing trend in inequality. In the case of microeconomic actors, the study focuses on the built environment: buildings account for 40% of global energy consumption and 1/3 of greenhouse gas emission, so this proportion represents a key responsibility for decision-makers of built environments. For micro-level analysis, the experiences related to determining the annual carbon load of a central unit of a higher education institution are summarized. The data collection and time series analysis show the direct CO2 emissions of the institution and the emissions of the energy inputs used for operation. In addition to presenting time series data, the study seeks to answer the question whether growing and widespread post-COVID-19 online solutions can have a long-term impact on the composition of the environmental load of the examined higher education service centre.

Trends of Inequalities in the Use of Long-Term Reversible Contraceptives in Burkina Faso between 2010 and 2015

Trends of Inequalities in the Use of Long-Term Reversible Contraceptives in Burkina Faso between 2010 and 2015

Beyond house size: Alternative estimates of wealth inequality in the ancient Maya Lowlands

AbstractHouse size provides a comparative measure of household wealth that enables archaeologists to track global trends in inequality across a range of sedentary societies. Such approaches hold particular promise for Maya archaeology given its long history of settlement pattern research and recent applications of LiDAR to map large areas surrounding ancient Maya cities. Estimating dwelling size, however, is not a trivial exercise. This article addresses potential confounds associated with geometric-based estimates (volume and area) and compares traditional house size-based measures of wealth with other estimates of house size and quality of life indicators. Settlement pattern data from the Upper Usumacinta Confluence Zone, recently collected by the Proyecto Arqueológico Altar de Sacrificios, combined with previously published excavation data provide a robust dataset to evaluate alternative measures of wealth beyond house size.

Modern inequalities: a review of the literature

This article reviews the main results of recent empirical research on the topic of income and wealth inequalities, with a special focus on Bulgaria, taking extensive account of the impact of Covid-19 which, according to the data, is responsible for ‘the largest annual increase in global inequality and poverty since at least 1990’. It is clear that social and macroeconomic shocks have a major impact on trends in inequalities. The aim of the article is to summarise the latest research on the subject in order to establish a starting point for the formulation of an adequate economic policy by national governments. The goal of such a policy should be to reduce inequalities to levels in socially acceptable ways which, on the one hand, would lead to an increase in general economic well-being and, on the other, also to an increase in social justice. Reducing the gap between rich and poor to ensure a fairer and more sustainable future means using all the tools of economic policy, both monetary and fiscal, which are available. A literature review such as this one fits precisely into this debate and would greatly assist future policymakers determine policies that work.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ СФЕРИ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНО-КОМУНІКАЦІЙНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ ДЛЯ ПОДОЛАННЯ ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ НЕРІВНОСТІ КРАЇН В МЕЖАХ ЄС

The article examines the uneven distribution of access to data, which leads to the emergence of inequality, which is based on information and communication technologies. It was determined that the rapid aging of telecommunications means is indicative of a growing digital divide, both within the country and between countries. The current trends in global digital inequality are characterized. It is noted that international unified regulation of the field of information and communication technologies can be one of the ways to reduce both economic inequality and the "digital divide". The main principles of supranational regulation are described on the example of the European Union. International cooperation in the field of protecting the privacy of cross-border data, the flows of which are growing, is considered. Features of the new "Digital Europe" program are revealed, which will be crucial for the availability of artificial intelligence technology for small and medium-sized enterprises in all member states with the help of digital innovation centers, enhanced testing facilities, experiments and training programs. The strategic priorities of the European Union have been determined to be the implementation of the Single Digital Market initiative, which will ensure the free movement of people, services and capital, uninterrupted access and conduct of activities on the Internet under conditions of fair competition, as well as guaranteed protection of personal data. Proposals regarding a set of measures to ensure high-quality access to the Internet on the territory of the EU were considered. The main goal on the path to creating a single digital market in Europe is the implementation of the European cloud initiative, which provides for the provision of world-class data infrastructure to industry, government bodies and science. The proposals of the European Commission regarding the implementation of the Digital Compass for the realization of the digital ambitions of the EU by 2030 are presented. It was determined that the ICT regulation system is effective and aimed at leveling individual inequalities in the economic development of countries within the EU, creating equal opportunities for access to ICT and achieving leadership in the field of digital technologies in the future.

Hypertension in India: Trends in Wealth-related Inequalities from the National Family Health Surveys.

India depicts a very high prevalence of hypertension. We need to learn more about the effect of wealth-related disparities on the prevalence of hypertension. The primary objective of this study was to assess temporal changes in the epidemiology of hypertension and associated wealth-related disparities among adults using two waves of nationally representative datasets from India. We did a secondary data analysis of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) rounds 4 and 5. We included information from the two rounds from 699,686 and 108,791 males and 92,804 and 677,803 females. Weighted analysis and multivariate binomial regression were used to depict the prevalence and predictors of hypertension. Inequalities were estimated using the concentration index (CI) and concentration curves. The weighted prevalence of hypertension among males increased from 14.6% to 16.7% among males, and from 8.8% to 9.9% among females, between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. Prehypertension rose from 43.3% to 48.3% for males, and females, from 30.2% to 36.2% between the NFHS rounds. Overall, the CI among the males (0.078 and 0.050) and females (0.102 and 0.059) decreased from rounds 4 to 5, depicting a decrease in pro-poor wealth-related inequalities in hypertension prevalence in India. To conclude, the current analysis depicts that inequalities due to which hypertension was more prevalent in the wealthier classes in India are slowly disappearing. Therefore, we need to target the already exhausted poor patients with limited access to health-care resources to prevent them from further shifting beyond the line of poverty before these differences narrow down further.

Porezi i dohodovna nejednakost u Evropskoj uniji - pristup kvantilne regresije

This paper tests the role of taxes in reducing income inequality in the European Union members. Using Eurostat data on Gini coefficients in a 14-year period, a slight growing trend of income inequality is found. The main findings indicate that taxes have a negative and statistically significant impact on income inequality, though this impact is relatively weak. A quantile regression estimates suggest that the redistributive power of taxes is highest in the most unequal societies and vice versa. It implies that taxes reduce income inequality mostly in the early stages of government efforts toward reducing income inequality. In the paper it is argued that combating cross-border tax avoidance is of the first-order importance for reducing income inequality instead of increasing statutory tax rates or progressivity of taxes. Research results are robust to changes of sampling period and lagging independent variables.

Global embeddedness and local responses: Trends in income inequality in Hungary following the 2008 economic crisis

Global embeddedness and local responses: Trends in income inequality in Hungary following the 2008 economic crisis

Efekat ekonomskog rasta na dohodnu nejednakost u Podsaharskoj Africi

In this paper, the way in which economic growth influences income distribution is examined with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite considerable growth in a number of the SSA countries, the region has been slow in reversing the rising trend of income inequality. A large proportion of countries in the region globally rank among economies with extreme income inequality. The study covers a period from 1995 to 2015, due to the limited data on the measure of income inequality, the Gini index, for the largest number of the countries of the region. The Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) system was employed in examining this paradox. The findings of this research study do not only suggest the presence of an inverted-U relationship between economic growth and income inequality, but the supposition of the S-shaped curve hypothesis in the interplay of growth and inequality was also tested and confirmed. It can be concluded that in no way do spurts in economic growth bring about diminution in income disproportion in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Introduction to the special issue on mobility, climate change, and economic inequality

Introduction to the special issue on mobility, climate change, and economic inequality

Area-Level Socioeconomic Inequalities in Intracranial Injury-Related Hospitalization in Korea: A Retrospective Analysis of Data From Korea National Hospital Discharge Survey 2008-2015.

Although inequality in traumatic brain injury (TBI) by individual socioeconomic status (SES) exists, interventions to modify individual SES are difficult. However, as interventions for area-based SES can affect the individual SES, monitoring or public health intervention can be planned. We analyzed the effect of area-based SES on hospitalization for TBI and revealed yearly inequality trends to provide a basis for health intervention. We included patients who were hospitalized due to intracranial injuries (ICIs) between 2008 and 2015 as a measure of severe TBI with data provided by the Korea National Hospital Discharge Survey. Area-based SES was synthesized using the 2010 census data. We assessed inequalities in ICI-related hospitalization rates using the relative index of inequality and the slope index of inequality for the periods 2008-2009, 2010-2011, 2012-2013, and 2014-2015. We analyzed the trends of these indices for the observation period by age and sex. The overall relative indices of inequality for each 2-year period were 1.82 (95% confidence interval, 1.5-2.3), 1.97 (1.6-2.5), 2.01 (1.6-2.5), and 2.01 (1.6-2.5), respectively. The overall slope indices of inequality in each period were 38.74 (23.5-54.0), 36.75 (21.7-51.8), 35.65 (20.7-50.6), and 43.11 (27.6-58.6), respectively. The relative indices of inequality showed a linear trend for men (P = 0.006), which was most evident in the ≥ 65-year age group. Inequality in hospitalization for ICIs by area-based SES tended to increase during the observation period. Practical preventive interventions and input in healthcare resources for populations with low area-based SES are likely needed.

Evaluation of age-specific causes of death in the context of the Italian longevity transition

In many low-mortality countries, life expectancy at birth increased steadily over the last century. In particular, both Italian females and males benefited from faster improvements in mortality compared to other high-income countries, especially from the 1960s, leading to an exceptional increase in life expectancy. However, Italy has not become the leader in longevity. Here, we investigate life expectancy trends in Italy during the period 1960–2015 for both sexes. Additionally, we contribute to the existing literature by complementing life expectancy with an indicator of dispersion in ages at death, also known as lifespan inequality. Lifespan inequality underlies heterogeneity over age in populating health improvements and is a marker of uncertainty in the timing of death. We further quantify the contributions of different age groups and causes of death to recent trends in life expectancy and lifespan inequality. Our findings highlight the contributions of cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms to the recent increase in life expectancy but not necessarily to the decrease in lifespan inequality. Our results also uncover a more recent challenge across Italy: worsening mortality from infectious diseases and mortality at older age.

Maternal Health Outcomes in a Somalia Post-war Context: a PhD thesis analyzing trends towards universal health coverage

Abstract Somalia has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world and an inequitable distribution of maternal health outcomes and service utilisation. Like other developing countries, Somalia has adopted the global policy goal of attaining universal health coverage of health services and improved health outcomes across all populations. Although United Nations agencies track the progress towards achieving universal health coverage as part of health targets for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, empirical case studies are rarely documented, especially in developing countries and even more so in post-war contexts such as Somalia. Literature shows the overall progress towards globally agreed-upon targets for maternal health lagging in war-affected countries, with persistent socioeconomic gradients in health outcomes. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which the social determinants of health impact on the distribution of maternal health outcomes. The aim of this study is to examine the mechanisms through which social determinants contribute to inequities in maternal health outcomes in Somalia. Specifically, the study will analyse the policy context and progress towards achieving universal health coverage of maternal health services in Somalia; analyse trends in maternal health outcomes and inequities in Somalia; and examine the mechanisms through which social determinants contribute to inequities in maternal health outcomes. A mixed-methods case study design will be adopted, employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis. The findings of this PhD research will contribute to the evidence base on pathways for achieving universal health coverage of maternal health outcomes in post-war countries like Somalia. This will facilitate development of effective health care policies and those addressing the social determinants, which if implemented will improve maternal health outcomes in Somalia and mark progress towards achieving the goal of universal maternal health coverage.

Trends in Polarisation in Pakistan

This study analyses the trends in polarisation in Pakistan, in its rural and urban segments and its provinces, at the micro level during the period 1992-93 to 2001-02. Estimations are made by using the Bossert-Schworm measure (2006). The study finds fluctuating trends. In general, polarisation declined in all regions of Pakistan during 1996-97 and 2001-02, while 1998-99 is the period of maximum polarisation. Incorporating the household size reduces the extent of polarisation, implying that ignoring the household size overestimates polarisation. The comparison of trends in polarisation and income inequality shows that generally the trends in inequality and polarisation are similar.

Trends in Inequality in Pakistan between 1998-99 and 2001-02

Although there has been a much debate on poverty in Pakistan in recent time, the discussion on inequality remained limited. Poverty and inequality are closely linked—for a given mean income, the more unequal the income distribution, the larger the percentage of the population living in income poverty. Thus, incomes at the top and in the middle of the distribution may be just as important to us in perceiving and measuring poverty as those at the bottom. It is, thus, important to monitor the whole income distribution rather than merely the bottom of distribution. The issue of income inequality in Pakistan has been important in the policy discussions since the early 1960s. Since then, a number of attempts have been made to estimate the income or expenditure inequality using the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) data. However, a perception of increasing absolute poverty in Pakistan has shifted the focus of studies from inequality (or relative poverty) to absolute poverty. Consequently, a number of attempts have been made by various authors/institutions to estimate the poverty in Pakistan in the 1990s. The debate on trends in poverty during the 1990s—an era of stabilisation and structural adjustment has been wide-ranging in Pakistan. However, there is no discussion on the changes in income distribution from the policy and institutional reforms. World Bank (2003); FBS (2001) and Kemal (2003) are only three exceptions. While the former two studies report Gini Coefficients in their studies on absolute poverty in Pakistan without explaining its variations over time, the latter study is a comprehensive review on the income distribution in Pakistan.

Which Institutions Are More Relevant Than Others in Inequality Mitigation?

During the 1950s, 1960s and most of the 1970s inequality followed declining trends in the most developed and developing countries. However, the inequality trends have been reversed in most countries since the early 1980s. First, inequality started rising in the mid- to late- 1970s in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and the New Zealand, which were the first among the OECD countries to adopt a neoliberal policy approach. In United Kingdom the increase in inequality was quite pronounced as the Gini coefficient of the distribution of net disposable income rose more than 30 percent between 1978 and 1991, which was twice as fast as that recorded in United States for the same period. The Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands were next to follow where inequality followed a U-shaped pattern. From 1970 to 80, Finland and France also experienced a halt in declining trends in inequality. In Italy inequality rose by 4 points between 1992 and 1995. In 1993 the Gini coefficient for Japan stood at 0.44, which is approximately the same as United States and far higher than the likes of Sweden and Denmark. Most of this increase in income inequality in these industrialised countries is explained by a rise in earnings inequality [Cornia, et al. (2004)]. Since 1989, inequality in the transition countries of Central Europe has also witnessed increasing trends but they remain modest when compared to former USSR and Southeastern Europe where the Gini coefficients rose on average by 10-20 points which is 304 times faster than the Gini in Central Europe. The rise in inequality in this region has been attributed to rise in returns to education following liberalisation [Rutkowski (1999)].

Occupational Status and Earnings Inequality: Evidence from PIHS 2001-02 and PSLM 2004-05

Wage/earnings inequalities are one source of overall inequality in a country. The former inequalities in turn are closely linked with differential occupational status either defined in a contractual or productive/skill sense. Using the Pakistan Standard Classification of Occupations [PSCO (1994)], this paper estimates Gini coefficients for three types (all types, employee, selfemployed) of individuals/earners by occupational status from the Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS) 2001-02 and Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey (PSLM) 2004-05. Long-term trends in earnings inequality from 1992-93 to 2004-05 are documented with the benchmark estimates in the Ahmad (2002) study, while the short-term trends are measured from 2001-02 to 2004-05 for self-employed and paid employee. The long- as well as the short-term trends indicate rising earnings disparities within each occupational category. Over the longer period, these disparities have risen in the range of 50 to 100 percent. Shifts across occupation and across employment status indicate doubling of the share of Shop and Market Sales and Services Workers and the transition towards becoming self-employed. A few tentative explanations for the observed increasing occupational inequalities at the individual level are: (a) Availability of credit and improved efficiency of capital market may have relaxed capital constraints of former employees and enabled them to transit as self-employed. Right-sizing and down-sizing in public organisations may also have pushed the previous employees into utilising the ‘golden handshake’ packages towards self-employment. Assuming that returns on capital (internal or borrowed) are higher and financial contracts are more lucrative than wage contracts, the situation can lead to wider disparities. (b) At the paid employee level, the fall in the share of workers in elementary occupations improved the wage contracts of those still remaining in this occupation, and thereby increased the income/earnings inequality within this category. (c) Premium on skills, education, experience, and talent, in spite of the entry of a large number of individuals in the Service, Shop and Market Sales Workers category, has widened the inequalities within this category.

Global state of education-related inequality in COVID-19 vaccine coverage, structural barriers, vaccine hesitancy, and vaccine refusal: findings from the Global COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey

COVID-19 vaccine coverage and experiences of structural and attitudinal barriers to vaccination vary across populations. Education-related inequality in COVID-19 vaccine coverage and barriers within and between countries can provide insight into the hypothesised role of education as a correlate of vaccine access and acceptability. We aimed to characterise patterns of within-country education-related inequality in COVID-19 vaccine indicators across 90 countries. This study used data from the University of Maryland Social Data Science Center Global COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey. Data from 90 countries (more than 14 million participants aged 18 years and older) were included in our analyses. We assessed education-related inequalities globally, across country-income groupings, and nationally for four indicators (self-reported receipt of COVID-19 vaccine, structural barriers to vaccination, vaccine hesitancy, and vaccine refusal) for the study period June 1-Dec 31, 2021. We calculated an absolute summary measure of inequality to assess the latest situation of inequality and time trends and explored the association between government vaccine availability policies and education-related inequality. Nearly all countries had higher self-reported receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine among the most educated respondents than the least educated respondents. Education-related inequality in structural barriers, vaccine hesitancy, and vaccine refusal varied across countries, and was most pronounced in high-income countries, overall. Low-income and lower-middle-income countries reported widespread experiences of structural barriers and high levels of vaccine hesitancy alongside low levels of education-related inequality. Globally, vaccine hesitancy in unvaccinated people was higher among those with lower education and vaccine refusal was higher among those with higher education, especially in high-income countries. Over the study period, education-related inequalities in self-reported receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine declined, globally and across all country income groupings. Government policies expanding vaccine availability were associated with lower education-related inequality in self-reported receipt of vaccine. This study serves as a baseline for continued inequality monitoring and could help to inform targeted actions for the equitable uptake of vaccines. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Smoking Inequality Trends by Disability and Income in Australia, 2001 to 2020.

While policies to reduce smoking in many countries have been successful, disadvantaged groups (such as low-income groups) have only seen minor gains. People with disability are one such disadvantaged group and are more likely to smoke. However, evidence is limited on trends and inequalities in smoking for disabled people and on whether those also on low incomes are more likely to smoke. We use annual data from 2001 to 2020 of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey. We use a Bayesian model to estimate smoking prevalence trends and inequalities for people with disability (2020, n = 1,370) and without disability (2020, n = 6,229) across the whole population and within income tertiles. To avoid reverse causation (smoking causing disability), we focus on younger people (15-44 years). Absolute reductions (per 100 people, [95% credible intervals]) in smoking were similar for people with (-13 [-16, -11]) and without disability (-15 [-16, -14]), with stable absolute but increasing relative inequalities. In the low-income group, absolute reductions in smoking prevalence for people with disability (-10 [-14, -6]) were smaller than in people without disability (-14 [-15, -12]), resulting in moderate evidence for increasing absolute inequalities (4 [0, 8]) and strong evidence for increasing relative inequalities. In high-income groups, disability-related absolute inequalities narrowed (-6 [-10, -3]), and relative inequalities were stable. Disabled people in Australia, especially those on low incomes, show signs of being left behind in efforts to reduce smoking.