Abstract
The aggregate measures of inequality do not display any significant trend in the concentration of equivalent income among the Italian households in the early 2000s. Yet some sizeable shifts in the income distribution seem to suggest that the relative positions of groups of households have changed on the income scale. Through a decomposition analysis of Gini index by income source we find that in the more recent years the income from self-employment is the main disequalizing factor. The decomposition by social groups provides the evidence that it is the group of self-employed and managers who have gained more ground on the income scale.
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This work has been debated by the three Authors under the coordination of Claudio Quintano. Rosalia Castellano has written Sect. 1, while Andrea Regoli has written Sects. 2 to 6.
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Quintano, C., Castellano, R. & Regoli, A. Evolution and decomposition of income inequality in Italy, 1991–2004. Stat Methods Appl 18, 419–443 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10260-008-0101-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10260-008-0101-0