Higher inequality in Latin America: a collateral effect of the pandemic

IF 1.4 Q3 ECONOMICS

International Review of Applied Economics Pub Date : 2023-04-19 DOI:10.1080/02692171.2023.2200993

Ivonne Acevedo, Francesca Castellani, María José Cota, Giulia Lotti, Miguel Székely

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

This study explores the evolution of inequality in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic by using primary data from household and employment surveys collected in 2020. First, we discuss the trends in inequality in the region from 1992 to 2020. Next, we estimate regression models to examine how the changes in demographics and education levels might be correlated with changes in income distribution. Finally, we use a panel regression model with fixed effects for 16 countries in the region to identify how the socioeconomic context might help explain the changes in income inequality. The empirical findings suggest that inequality increased by a statistically significant 2% between 2019 and 2020. We obtained significantly heterogeneous results when disaggregating by gender, urban/rural location, and sector of economic activity. Remittances had a modest effect, while government transfers helped to prevent more significant disparities in half the countries studied. Our estimations show that the decline in employment levels – due to the economic contraction caused by COVID-19— is associated with increases in income inequality that might gradually diminish with the recovery.

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拉丁美洲不平等加剧:大流行病的附带影响

本研究利用2020年收集的家庭和就业调查的原始数据，探讨了2019冠状病毒病大流行期间拉丁美洲不平等现象的演变。首先，我们讨论了1992年至2020年该地区不平等的趋势。接下来，我们估计回归模型，以检查人口统计和教育水平的变化如何与收入分配的变化相关。最后，我们对该地区16个国家使用了固定效应的面板回归模型，以确定社会经济背景如何有助于解释收入不平等的变化。实证结果表明，从2019年到2020年，不平等现象在统计上显著增加了2%。当按性别、城市/农村位置和经济活动部门进行分类时，我们得到了显著不同的结果。汇款的影响不大，而政府转移支付在一半的研究国家中帮助防止了更大的差距。我们的估计表明，就业水平的下降(由于COVID-19造成的经济收缩)与收入不平等的加剧有关，而收入不平等可能随着经济复苏而逐渐减少。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Review of Applied Economics ECONOMICS-

CiteScore

4.30

自引率

4.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： International Review of Applied Economics is devoted to the practical applications of economic ideas. Applied economics is widely interpreted to embrace empirical work and the application of economics to the evaluation and development of economic policies. The interaction between empirical work and economic policy is an important feature of the journal. The Journal is peer reviewed and international in scope. Articles that draw lessons from the experience of one country for the benefit of others, or that seek to make cross-country comparisons are particularly welcomed. Contributions which discuss policy issues from theoretical positions neglected in other journals are also encouraged.