Demographic behaviour and earnings inequality across OECD countries
June 2023
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Journal article
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The Journal of Economic Inequality
44 Human Society, 4403 Demography, 1 Underpinning research, 1.2 Psychological and socioeconomic processes, 10 Reduced Inequalities
TOP INCOME ADJUSTMENTS AND INEQUALITY: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EU-SILC dagger
June 2022
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Journal article
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REVIEW OF INCOME AND WEALTH
This paper provides a novel assessment of how the World Inequality Database (WID) top income adjustment applied by Blanchet, Chancel, and Gethin (2021) to European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data for 26 countries over 2003–2017 for Distributional National Accounts purposes affects inequality in equivalized gross and disposable household income. On average, the Gini is increased by around 2.4 points for both gross and disposable income, with notable differences across countries but limited impact on trends. EU-SILC countries that rely on administrative register data see relatively small effects on inequality. Comparing with two other recent studies, differences in impacts on measured inequality depend less on the adjustment method and more on whether external data sources are used.
survey representativeness, inequality, reweighting, top incomes
Intergenerational wealth transfers in Great Britain from the Wealth and Assets Survey in comparative perspective
June 2022
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Journal article
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Fiscal Studies
44 Human Society, 4403 Demography, Behavioral and Social Science, Basic Behavioral and Social Science
Lockdown, Earnings Losses and Household Asset Buffers in Europe.
June 2022
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Journal article
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The Review of income and wealth
Measures taken to contain the spread of COVID-19 affected some workers' capability to work and hence earning more than others. The initial impact may have been mitigated, for instance by relying on savings and assets, but access to these buffers likely varied within and across countries. In this article we estimate COVID-19 potential earnings losses using the Lockdown Working Ability Index and relate this to households' savings and assets observed in the Eurosystem Household Finance and Consumption Survey. We find that, without government support, households in the Euro Area could only offset on average half of their losses by relying on liquid assets and almost half would deplete their savings in doing so, although there is significant cross-country variation. When considering the effect of income support policies, liquid assets cover on average 65 percent of the remaining losses and still 20 percent would exhaust their liquid assets on average in the Euro Area.
Rising income inequality and the relative decline in subjective social status of the working class
February 2022
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Journal article
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West European Politics
The declining ‘subjective social status’ of the low-educated working class has been advanced as a prominent explanation for right-wing populism. The working class has certainly been adversely affected by rising income inequality over the past decades, but we do not actually know if their perceived standing in the social hierarchy has declined correspondingly over time. This article examines trends in subjective social status in two ‘most likely cases’ – Germany and the US – between 1980 and 2018. We find that the subjective social status of the working class has not declined in absolute terms. However, there is evidence for relative status declines for the working class in Germany and substantial within-class heterogeneity in both countries. These findings imply that rising income inequality has a nuanced impact on status perceptions. When assessing the role of subjective social status for political outcomes, longitudinal perspectives that consider both absolute and relative changes seem promising.
working class, subjective social status, income inequality, relative changes, absolute changes, FFR
Does household worklessness explain Ireland’s high working-age market income inequality?
December 2021
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Journal article
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Economic and Social Review
Ireland has a particularly high level of inequality in incomes from the market, before redistribution by transfers and direct taxes, and also a very high level of household joblessness. How much does the latter serve to explain the former? We assess this by comparing Ireland in depth with five comparator countries: France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Decomposition of the Gini coefficient by income source shows the dominant role played by income from labour in market income inequality in all these countries. Decomposition of Generalised Entropy measures and counterfactual shift-share exercises based on them show that Ireland’s high proportion of working-age households with no earner is indeed an important contributor to its ranking in terms of market income inequality. However, relatively high levels of dispersion in earnings within one-earner and two-earner households also contribute and their drivers need to be better understood.
FFR
Between-class earnings inequality in 30 European countries: a regression-based decomposition
December 2021
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Journal article
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Comparative Sociology
This article studies earnings inequality between social classes across 30 European countries. Class inequality in earnings is found across the board although there are some exceptions. However, the degree of class inequality varies strongly across countries being larger in Western and Southern European countries and smaller in Eastern and Northern European countries. Furthermore, we find that differences in class composition in terms of observed characteristics associated with earnings account for a substantial proportion of these between-class differences. Differences between classes in the returns to education and other characteristics play less of a role. In all these respects there is a sizeable cross-national variation. This points to important differences between countries in how earnings are structured by social class.
Inheritance, gifts and the accumulation of wealth for low-income households
December 2021
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Journal article
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Journal of European Social Policy
Many low-income households in rich countries have very little wealth, but the role of intergenerational wealth transmission in underpinning this deficit is not known. This article seeks to fill that gap by investigating patterns of past wealth transfer receipt for low-income versus other households in seven rich countries and assessing the contribution that these transfers, or their absence, make to current wealth levels. We find that households on low incomes are relatively disadvantaged in terms of intergenerational transfers received in the past, both in terms of the likelihood of having received any and the amounts received by those who do benefit from such transfers. The role that this disadvantage plays in the linkage between current low-income and low wealth is assessed and evidence presented that it is significant. Simulation of a universal wealth transfer scheme or ‘capital endowment’ on reaching adulthood for two countries shows that such a policy could lead to a marked decline in the proportion of low-income adults with negative or no wealth. This and alternative or complementary policy responses to these wealth deficits merit the most serious attention.
poverty, capital endowment, wealth, inheritance, FFR
How wealth matters for social policy
November 2021
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Journal article
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Journal of European Social Policy
This special issue looks at wealth in relation to social policy from a variety of perspectives. The articles all shed an innovative light on wealth in relation to a range of topics relevant for social policy researchers. This introduction provides an overview of the papers in this special issue and then highlights some of the gaps and shortcomings that remain. We conclude with some reflections on what this means for the future of social policy and research on it.
wealth, debt, FFR, housing, social policy, asset accumulation
Wealth inequality, intergenerational transfers, and family background
October 2021
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Journal article
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Oxford Economic Papers
We estimate the contribution of intergenerational transfers (inheritances and gifts) and family background to wealth inequality in four OECD countries: France, Spain, Great Britain, and the USA. We compare the observed wealth distribution with a non-parametric counterfactual distribution where all differences in wealth associated with intergenerational transfers and family background are removed. Despite the diversity of the countries analysed, we find similar patterns. The combined contribution of intergenerational transfers and family background to wealth inequality is sizeable in the four countries, ranging from 36% in Great Britain to 49% in the USA. When interactions between the two factors are accounted for, and the Shapley value decomposition is used to fully disentangle the contribution of each factor based on its marginal contribution, intergenerational transfers account for between 26% in Great Britain and 36% of wealth inequality in France, with family background ranging from 9% in France to 17% in the USA.
United States, inequality, FFR, wealth, inheritances, Spain, Great Britain, France
Occupational social class and earnings inequality in Europe: A comparative assessment
July 2021
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Journal article
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Social Indicators Research
While there is renewed interest in earnings differentials between social classes, the contribution of social class to overall earnings inequality across countries and net of compositional effects remains largely uncharted territory. This paper uses data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions to assess earnings differentials between social classes (as measured by ESeC) and the role of between-class inequality in overall earnings inequality across 30 European countries. We find that there is substantial variation in earnings differences between social classes across countries. Countries with higher levels of between-class inequality tend to display higher levels of overall earnings inequality, but this relationship is far from perfect. Even with highly aggregated class measures, between-class inequality accounts for a non-negligible share of total earnings inequality (between 15 and 25% in most countries). Controlling for observed between-class differences in composition shows that these account for much of the observed between-class earnings inequality, while in most countries between-class differences in returns to observed compositional variables do not play a major role. In all these respects we find considerable variation across countries, implying that both the size of between-class differences in earnings and the primary mechanisms that produce these class differences vary substantially between European countries.
EU-SILC, Europe, cross-national variation, earnings, FFR, social class, decomposition of mean log deviation, inequality, counterfactual inequality
Intergenerational wealth transfers and wealth inequality in rich countries: What do we learn from Gini decomposition?
January 2021
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Journal article
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Economics Letters
The role of intergenerational transfers of wealth via inheritance and gifts inter vivos in the accumulation of household wealth and the generation of wealth inequality has been hotly debated. This paper uses data from household wealth surveys for six rich countries – Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the US – to assess the contribution of intergenerational wealth transfers to wealth inequality using decomposition methods for the Gini coefficient. The results show that transfer wealth is consistently a good deal more unequally distributed than non-transfer wealth and total wealth. Transfer wealth accounts for only about one-tenth of overall wealth inequality for the US compared to one-third for Germany and Italy. This mirrors the importance of transfer wealth in total wealth in each country, with differences in inequality in transfer wealth and its correlation with total wealth having only a modest impact. We find that a marginal percentage increase in all transfers reduces total wealth inequality in Britain, Germany and the US, while it would increase total wealth inequality in France, Italy and Spain.
Inequality and real income growth for middle-and low-income households across rich countries in recent decades
June 2020
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Journal article
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Research on Economic Inequality
© 2021 by Emerald Publishing Limited. This paper places what has happened to income inequality in rich countries over recent decades alongside trends in median and low incomes in real terms, taken as incomplete but valuable indicators of the evolution of living standards for “ordinary working families” and the poor. The findings demonstrate first just how varied country experiences have been, with some much more successful than others in generating rising real incomes around the middle and toward the bottom of the distribution. This variation is seen to be only modestly related to the extent to which income inequality rose, which itself is more varied across the rich countries than is often appreciated. The extent to which economic growth is transmitted to the middle and lower parts of the distribution is seen to depend on a range of factors of which inequality is only one. Sources of real income growth around the middle have also varied across countries, though transfers are consistently key toward the bottom. The diversity of rich country experiences should serve as an important corrective to a now-common “grand narrative” about inequality and stagnation based on the experience of the USA.
The Median Versus Inequality-Adjusted GNI as Core Indicator of 'Ordinary' Household Living Standards in Rich Countries
March 2020
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Journal article
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SOCIAL INDICATORS RESEARCH
© 2020, The Author(s). This paper first highlights the extent to which national income per head will be unreliable as an indicator of household income change over time around the middle for rich countries, in the short or long run, and will mislead as to the relative performance of countries in achieving broadly-based improvements in prosperity. It then demonstrates that ‘inequality-adjusting’ national income will not suffice to bridge the gap. The divergence between the trajectory of median household income and GDP/GNI per capita is due to a variety of factors that themselves vary in significance across countries and over time, with the distribution of the gains from growth being only one. Median income thus needs to be accorded a central role alongside GDP per capita in both official monitoring of living standards and research on inclusive growth. Growth in median incomes will not be a reliable measure of what is happening to the incomes of the poor, though, so low incomes and poverty certainly need to be separately monitored and analysed: one cannot assume that growth that transmits to the middle is also going towards the bottom.
Social indicators, Living standards, Inequality
What happened to the 'Great American Jobs Machine'?
March 2020
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Journal article
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International Journal of Microsimulation
© 2020, Richiardi et al. In the 1980s and 1990s the US employment rate increased steadily, and by 2000 it was one of the highest among the rich democratic nations. Since then it has declined both in absolute terms and relative to other countries. We use an in-depth comparison between the United States and the United Kingdom to probe the causes of America's poor recent performance. Contrary to a common narrative, a comparative perspective suggests that the decline in US labour force participation is not confined to the (white) male population; the divergence in the female participation rate is even more pronounced. We do not find evidence that the poor US performance is linked to cyclical patterns, such as the 2008-09 Great Recession; instead, it is a more pervasive, longer-run phenomenon. The relative decline of US participation rates compared to the UK is attributable to shifts in socio-demographic characteristics, such as education, and to shifts in the impact of those characteristics, which have become more adverse to participation.
Has the middle secured its share of growth or been squeezed?
median voter, inequality, democracy, income growth, middle class
Inequality and its discontents
July 2019
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Journal article
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Oxford Review of Economic Policy
<p style="text-align:justify;">Inequality in the distribution of income and wealth has come to the fore as a core concern across the industrialized world. Here we examine what has happened to income inequality across the rich countries in recent decades. We discuss the range of factors that appear to be driving inequality upwards, notably the role of technological change, globalization, and national institutions and policies. We look at how rising inequality might undermine economic growth and squeeze the middle, and assess the extent to which it has actually done so. We assess whether rising inequality is associated with worsening outcomes and inequalities across various social domains. Finally, we review emerging evidence on the role that rising inequality may be playing in the ‘revolt of the angry’ and rise of populism.</p>
FFR
Intergenerational class mobility in Europe: a new account
April 2019
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Journal article
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Social Forces
Comparative research into intergenerational social mobility has been typically restricted to a relatively small number of countries. The aim of this paper is to widen the perspective, and to provide an up-to-date account of rates of intergenerational class mobility across 30 European countries, using a newly-constructed comparative data-set based on the European Social Survey. Absolute mobility rates are found to vary quite widely with national differences in the extent and pattern of class structural change. As regards relative rates, countries are best seen as falling into groups within comparatively high and low fluidity sets, within which groups a high degree of cross-national commonality prevails. Further results indicate that country differences in relative rates play only a very limited part in accounting for country differences in absolute rates, confirming that the latter are primarily determined by class structural change. Based on our findings, we suggest a restatement of the FJH-hypothesis to the effect that in societies with a capitalist market economy, a nuclear family system and a liberal-democratic polity, a limit exists to the extent to which relative rates of class mobility can be equalized, which countries may move closer to or, in the case of post-socialist societies, recede from.
FFR
THE DRIVERS OF INCOME INEQUALITY IN RICH COUNTRIES
January 2019
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Journal article
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Journal of Economic Surveys
Rising income inequality has recently come centre-stage as a core societal concern for rich countries. The diagnosis of the forces driving inequality upwards and their relative importance remain hotly contested, notably with respect to the roles of globalization versus technology and of market forces versus institutions and policy choices. This survey provides a critical review and synthesis of recent research. The focus is on income inequality across the entire distribution, rather than only on what has been happening at the very top. We pay particular attention to include what has been learned from the analysis of micro-data, to ensure that the coverage is not unduly US-centric and to analyses of the interrelations between the different drivers of inequality. The marked differences in inequality trends across countries and time periods reflect how global economic forces such as globalization and technological change have interacted with differing national contexts and institutions. Major analytical challenges stand in the way of a consensus emerging on the relative importance of different drivers in how income inequality has evolved in recent decades.
Generating Prosperity for Working Families in Affluent Countries
October 2018
|
Edited book
Through looking across this broad canvas, this book teases out how ordinary households have fared in recent decades in these critically important respects, and how that should inform the quest for inclusive growth and prosperity.
Business & Economics
Inequality and Inclusive Growth in Rich Countries Shared Challenges and Contrasting Fortunes
June 2018
|
Edited book
This book addresses the central challenge facing rich countries: how to promote growth and prosperity that is widely shared rather than concentrated at the top.
Business & Economics
GDP per capita versus median household income: What gives rise to the divergence over time and how does this vary across OECD countries?
May 2018
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Journal article
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Review of Income and Wealth
Divergence between the evolution of GDP per capita and the income of a “typical” household as measured in household surveys is giving rise to a range of serious concerns, especially in the USA. This paper investigates the extent of that divergence and the factors that contribute to it across 27 OECD countries, using data from OECD National Accounts and the Luxembourg Income Study. While GDP per capita has risen faster than median household income in most of these countries over the period these data cover, the size of that divergence varied very substantially, with the USA a clear outlier. The paper distinguishes a number of factors contributing to such a divergence, and finds wide variation across countries in the impact of the various factors. Further, both the extent of that divergence and the role of the various contributory factors vary widely over time for most of the countries studied. These findings have serious implications for the monitoring and assessment of changes in household incomes and living standards over time.
household incomes, inequality, economic growth
Rising income inequality and living standards in OECD countries: How does the middle fare?
May 2018
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Journal article
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Journal of Income Distribution
Income inequality has increased in a number of the rich democratic nations over the past generation. We examine whether this has reduced income growth for middle-income households. Using LIS, OECD and WID data, we show how median household incomes and income inequality have evolved between 1980 and 2013, and we analyse whether these trends are related. Growth in median incomes is negatively associated with changes in the Gini but not with changes in top income shares. Economic growth is strongly associated with growth in median incomes, although it does not seem to fully transmit.
living standards, inequality, inclusive growth, median
Social dialogue and inequality: Ireland
April 2018
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Chapter
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Reducing Inequalities in Europe: How Industrial Relations and Labour Policies Can Close the Gap
The Great Recession, austerity and inequality: lessons from Ireland
February 2018
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Journal article
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Review of Income and Wealth
The advent of the Great Recession and the widespread adoption of fiscal austerity policies have heightened concern about inequality and its effects. We examine how the distribution of income in Ireland—a country which experienced one of the most severe economic contractions—has evolved over the years 2008 to 2013. Standard cross-sectional analysis of the income distribution shows broad stability in the Gini coefficient and in decile shares, with one main exception: the share of the bottom decile fell sharply, with the largest fall in average incomes being for that group. Longitudinal analysis shows that the falls in the average income for the bottom decile were not due to decreasing income for those remaining in the bottom decile, but to falls in income from those initially located in higher deciles. The extent of redistribution through taxes and transfers increased strongly, as measured by the Reynolds-Smolensky index, which rose from 0.20 before the onset of the crisis to 0.27 in 2013. Analysis indicates that about three-quarters of this increased redistribution is due to automatic stabilisers and one-quarter to discretionary policy changes.
D63, H24, D31, longitudinal, inequality, microsimulation, income distribution, decomposition
Low pay, in-work poverty and economic vulnerability
January 2018
|
Chapter
|
Handbook on In-Work Poverty
SBTMR
Indicators for social inclusion in the European Union
January 2018
|
Chapter
|
Combating Poverty in Europe: The German Welfare Regime in Practice
Economic Stress and the Great Recession in Ireland: The Erosion of Social Class Advantage
January 2018
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Journal article
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ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REVIEW
Poverty and Social Exclusion Indicators in the European Union: The Role of Non-Monetary Deprivation Indicators
January 2018
|
Chapter
|
Reducing Inequalities
4407 Policy and Administration, 44 Human Society, Mental Health, 1 Underpinning research, 1.2 Psychological and socioeconomic processes, 1 No Poverty, 10 Reduced Inequalities
Polarization or "Squeezed Middle" in the Great Recession?: A Comparative European Analysis of the Distribution of Economic Stress
December 2017
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Journal article
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SOCIAL INDICATORS RESEARCH
Middle class squeeze, Polarization, Income class, Great recession, Economic stress
Reducing poverty and inequality through tax-benefit reform and the minimum wage: the UK as a case-study
Symposium 2016-2017: Globalisation, inequality and the rise of populism globalisation, inequality and populism
October 2017
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Journal article
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Journal of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland
© 2017, Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland. All rights reserved. Inequality in the distribution of income and wealth among individuals has now come to the fore as a core concern across the industrialised world. In 2013 then President of the United States Barack Obama identified rising income inequality as “the defining challenge of our times”. The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde has stated that “reducing excessive inequality is not just morally and politically correct, but it is good economics.” Secretary-General of the OECD Angel Gurría has emphasized that “Inequality can no longer be treated as an afterthought. We need to focus the debate on how the benefits of growth are distributed”. This reflects the fact that inequality has been rising in many rich countries, and that this is seen as undermining economic growth, ‘squeezing’ middle and lower income households, exacerbating social ‘bads’ such as health inequalities, and undermining social solidarity and trust. Most recently, in light of political developments, it has also been held responsible for fuelling the rise of populism.
Tony Atkinson and His Legacy
September 2017
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Journal article
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Review of Income and Wealth
economic theory, public economics, Anthony B. Atkinson, inequality, economic policy, poverty
Wealth, Top Incomes, and Inequality
September 2017
|
Chapter
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National Wealth: What Is Missing, Why It Matters
Although it is heartening to see wealth inequality being taken seriously, key concepts are often muddled, including the distinction between income and wealth; what is included in ‘wealth’; and facts about wealth distributions. This chapter highlights issues that arise in making ideas and facts about wealth inequality precise, and employs newly available data to take a fresh look at wealth and wealth inequality in a comparative perspective. The composition of wealth is similar across countries, with housing wealth being the key asset. Wealth is considerably more unequally distributed than income, and it is distinctively so in the US. Extending definitions to include pension wealth, however, reduces inequality substantially. Analysis also sheds light on life-cycle patterns and the role of inheritance. Discussion of the joint distributions of income and wealth suggests that interactions between increasing top-income shares and the concentration of wealth and income from wealth towards the top are critical.
Top Incomes, Income, Cross-national, SBTMR, Comparative, Wealth, Households, Inheritance, Inequality
Austerity and Inequality in Ireland.
September 2017
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Chapter
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Debating Austerity: crisis, experience and recovery
TONY ATKINSON AND HIS LEGACY
September 2017
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Journal article
|
REVIEW OF INCOME AND WEALTH
Anthony B. Atkinson, inequality, poverty, public economics, economic theory, economic policy
Poverty and social exclusion in the European Union
August 2017
|
Chapter
|
Handbook of European Social Policy
SBTMR
The Great Recession and the changing intergenerational distribution of economic stress across income classes in Ireland: A comparative perspective
August 2017
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Journal article
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Irish Journal of Sociology
Children of austerity impact of the great recession on child poverty in rich countries
April 2017
|
Edited book
Through 11 diverse country case studies (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States), this volume describes the evolution of child poverty and material well-being during ...
SBTMR, Business and Economics
Atkinson's Inequality: What Can Be Done?
April 2017
|
Journal article
|
REVUE FRANCAISE DE SOCIOLOGIE
Material Deprivation and Consumption
April 2017
|
Chapter
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Oxford Handbook of The Social Science of Poverty
This article examines material deprivation and consumption in relation to poverty. In a developing country context, manifest material deprivation and inadequate levels of consumption have always been central to the conceptualization of poverty and living standards. Direct measures of failure to meet “basic needs” are widely used alongside income-based measures such as the World Bank’s “dollar a day” standard. In contrast, both research and official poverty monitoring in rich countries tend to rely on household income. This article begins with a review of recent research on material deprivation, seen primarily as a means to go “beyond income” in capturing poverty and exclusion. It then considers the mismatch between low income and measured deprivation, along with the notion of multidimensionality and the measurement issues raised in the implementation of multidimensional approaches. Finally, it analyzes conceptual and empirical issues relating to the contrast between income and consumption.
income , material deprivation, SBTMR, exclusion, living standards, consumption, household income, poverty, multidimensionality
Globalisation, Inequality and Populism
January 2017
|
Journal article
|
JOURNAL OF THE STATISTICAL AND SOCIAL INQUIRY SOCIETY OF IRELAND
Job loss by wage level: lessons from the Great Recession in Ireland
Middle incomes in boom and bust: The Irish experience
October 2016
|
Chapter
|
Europe's Disappearing Middle Class?: Evidence from the World of Work
Hanging in, but only just: part-time employment and in-work poverty throughout the crisis
March 2016
|
Journal article
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IZA Journal of European Labor Studies
The crisis has deepened pre-existing concerns regarding low-wage and non-standard employment. Countries where unemployment increased most strongly during the crisis period also saw part-time employment increasing, particularly involuntary part-time work. With involuntary part-time workers, as a particular group of underemployed, facing especially high poverty rates, this was accompanied by an increase, on average, in the poverty risk associated with working part-time. However, this was not reflected in a marked increase in the overall in-work poverty rate because full-time work remains dominant and its poverty risk did not change markedly. The household context is of the essence when considering policy implications. JEL codes: I32, I38, J21, J22, J68, R28
SBTMR
Disability and the labour market
January 2015
|
Chapter
|
The Economics of Disability: Insights from Irish Research
Disability, social inclusion and poverty
January 2015
|
Chapter
|
The Economics of Disability: Insights from Irish Research
The economics of disability: Insights from Irish research
The role of economic analysis in supporting disability policy
January 2015
|
Chapter
|
The Economics of Disability: Insights from Irish Research
The welfare state and antipoverty policy in rich countries
December 2014
|
Chapter
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Handbook of Income Distribution
The aim of this chapter is to highlight some key aspects of recent economic research on the welfare state and antipoverty policy in rich countries and to explore their implications. We begin with the conceptualization and measurement of poverty before sketching out some core features and approaches to the welfare state and antipoverty policies. We then focus on the central plank of the modern welfare state's efforts to address poverty-namely, social protection, discussing in turn the inactive working-age population, child income support, in-work poverty, and retirement and old-age pensions. After that we discuss social spending other than cash transfers, the labor market, education, training and activation, and, finally, intergenerational transmission, childhood, and neighborhoods. We also discuss the welfare state and antipoverty policy in the context of the economic crisis that began in 2007-2008 and the implications for strategies aimed at combining economic growth and employment with making serious inroads into poverty. We conclude with directions for future research.
SBTMR
Crisis, response and distributional impact: the case of Ireland
December 2014
|
Journal article
|
IZA Journal of European Labor Studies
38 Economics, 4407 Policy and Administration, 44 Human Society, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, Behavioral and Social Science
Multidimensional poverty measurement in Europe: An application of the adjusted headcount approach
May 2014
|
Journal article
|
Journal of European Social Policy
4404 Development Studies, 44 Human Society, Behavioral and Social Science, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, 1 No Poverty
Changing Inequalities and Societal Impacts in Rich Countries: Thirty Countries' Experiences
January 2014
|
Edited book
Changing Inequalities in Rich Countries Analytical and Comparative Perspectives
January 2014
|
Edited book
This book uses a combination of comparative analysis and in-depth examination of the experience of 30 countries over the past 30 years, to see whether inequality in incomes, wealth, and education has been widening.
Business & Economics
Income and wealth in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing
January 2014
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Journal article
|
Economic and Social Review
Between 2009 and 2011, data were collected under the first wave of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). Over 8,500 people aged 50 and over and living in Ireland were interviewed about a wide range of topics covering socio-economic and health issues. Our primary goals in this paper are to present details on two of the variables which will be of particular interest to economists, namely income and wealth, and to discuss issues in relation to their use. We describe how the income and wealth data were collected. We assess the quality of the income data by comparing them to those obtained through the European Union Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). We examine the joint distribution of income and assets and conduct a small exercise on using the data to design a means-testing system.
SBTMR
L'indicateur EU2020 de suivi de la pauvreté et de l'exclusion : une analyse critique
January 2014
|
Journal article
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Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics
The Economics of disability in Ireland
January 2014
|
Edited book
What use is ‘social investment’?
December 2013
|
Journal article
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Journal of European Social Policy
4407 Policy and Administration, 4408 Political Science, 44 Human Society, Mental Health
Inequality in Europe: What can be done? What should be done?
November 2013
|
Journal article
|
Intereconomics
38 Economics, 3803 Economic Theory, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, Behavioral and Social Science, 10 Reduced Inequalities
ANALYSING INTERGENERATIONAL INFLUENCES ON INCOME POVERTY AND ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY WITH EU-SILC
February 2013
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Journal article
|
European Societies
4410 Sociology, 44 Human Society, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, Behavioral and Social Science, 1 Underpinning research, 2.3 Psychological, social and economic factors, 1.2 Psychological and socioeconomic processes, 2 Aetiology, 1 No Poverty, 10 Reduced Inequalities
Preface
September 2012
|
Chapter
Developing and Learning from EU Measures of Social Inclusion
June 2012
|
Chapter
|
Counting the Poor
Using Nonmonetary Deprivation Indicators to Analyze European Poverty and Social Exclusion
June 2012
|
Chapter
|
Counting the Poor
Wage inequality in Ireland's "Celtic Tiger" Boom
April 2012
|
Journal article
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Economic and Social Review
Ireland offers a valuable case study of the evolution of wage inequality in a period of exceptional growth in output, employment and incomes from 1994 to 2007. We find that dispersion in hourly wages across all employees fell sharply to 2000, before increasing though much less sharply to 2007. Returns to both education and work experience declined considerably in the earlier period, while the increase in lower earnings relative to the median was associated with the introduction of the minimum wage in 2000, anchoring the bottom of the distribution subsequently. The more rapid increase in higher earnings in the latter part of the boom may be associated with the changing patterns of immigration and employment growth.
The Great Recession and the Distribution of Household Income
January 2012
|
Edited book
Bas salaires et pauvreté au travail en Europe : une préoccupation croissante ?
December 2011
|
Journal article
|
Reflets et perspectives de la vie économique
38 Economics, 3801 Applied Economics, 3802 Econometrics, 3803 Economic Theory
Dimensions of Housing Deprivation for Older People in Ireland
December 2011
|
Journal article
|
Social Indicators Research
4406 Human Geography, 4407 Policy and Administration, 44 Human Society, Aging, Mental Health, Behavioral and Social Science, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, 2 Aetiology, 2.3 Psychological, social and economic factors
Household joblessness and its impact on poverty and deprivation in Europe
December 2011
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Journal article
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Journal of European Social Policy
4404 Development Studies, 44 Human Society, Generic health relevance, 1 No Poverty, 10 Reduced Inequalities
Poverty and Deprivation in Europe
October 2011
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Book
Low pay, in-work poverty and economic vulnerability: a comparative analysis using EU-SILC*
May 2011
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Journal article
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Manchester School
We explore the potential of data from EU‐SILC (‘Statistics on Income and Living Conditions’) for the enlarged European Union for the study of low pay and its relationship to household poverty and vulnerability. Limitations of the earnings data currently available mean the analysis covers only 14 of these countries. For employees who are not low paid, income poverty is seen to be rare. The low paid face a much higher risk of being in a household below relative income poverty thresholds, ranging from 7 per cent in Belgium and the Netherlands up to 17–18 per cent in Austria, Estonia and Lithuania. The likelihood of their being in a poor household is clearly linked to gender, age and social class. In most of the countries only a minority of low‐paid individuals are in vulnerable households.
SBTMR
Economic Inequality, Poverty, and Social Exclusion
February 2011
|
Chapter
Intragenerational Inequality and Intertemporal Mobility
February 2011
|
Chapter
Introduction
February 2011
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Chapter
The Oxford Handbook of Economic Inequality
February 2011
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Edited book
The Economic Crisis, Public Sector Pay and the Income Distribution
January 2011
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Journal article
3801 Applied Economics, 3802 Econometrics, 38 Economics, 44 Human Society, 4407 Policy and Administration, Generic health relevance, 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, 1 No Poverty
The role of social institutions in intergenerational mobility
January 2011
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Chapter
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Persistence, Privilege, and Parenting: The Comparative Study of Intergenerational Mobility
Inequality and the crisis: The distributional impact of tax increases and welfare and public sector pay cuts
December 2010
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Journal article
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Economic and Social Review
The economic crisis impacts directly on the distribution of income via unemployment and private sector wages, but the way policy responds in seeking to control soaring fiscal deficits is also central to its distributional consequences. Having sketched out the background in terms of inequality trends during Ireland's boom and the channels through which the recession affects different parts of the income distribution, this paper investigates the distributional impact of the government's policy response with respect to direct tax, social welfare and public sector pay using the SWITCH tax-benefit model. This provides empirical evidence relevant to future policy choices as efforts to reduce the fiscal deficit continue.
Ireland: A successful minimum wage implementation?
December 2010
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Chapter
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The Minimum Wage Revisited in the Enlarged EU
The changing distribution of earnings in Ireland, 1937 to 1968
Using non‐monetary deprivation indicators to analyze poverty and social exclusion: Lessons from Europe?
March 2010
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Journal article
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Journal of Policy Analysis and Management
38 Economics, 4407 Policy and Administration, 44 Human Society, Generic health relevance, 1 No Poverty
Inequality and the Crisis: The Distributional Impact of Tax Increases and Welfare and Public Sector Pay Cuts
January 2010
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Conference paper
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ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REVIEW
Low pay and household poverty during Ireland's economic boom
December 2009
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Chapter
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The Working Poor in Europe: Employment, Poverty and Globalization
Promoting the well-being of immigrant youth: A framework for comparing outcomes and policies
January 2009
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Chapter
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Realizing the Potential of Immigrant Youth
Introduction The well-being of immigrant youth – of the first or second generation – is intimately tied to their socioeconomic status and success, and these are important for social cohesion in society. Institutional settings and policies vary greatly from one country to the next, so studying key outcomes for immigrant youth in a comparative perspective illuminates which are most effective in promoting their well-being. In this chapter, a framework is presented for that exercise, highlighting recent literature on multidimensional well-being, social inclusion/exclusion, and child well-being. Then key findings from research on immigration and youth are examined within that framework in order to delineate the potential and the challenges associated with this approach to teasing out what works for immigrant youth. Capturing Well-being To assess the well-being of immigrant youth, one needs a clear conceptual perspective. There is now a substantial body of research focused on monitoring well-being, including across countries, from which much can be learned about the key dimensions of well-being and how they are measured for the general population and for children and young people. This can provide a general framework within which to set assessment of the situation of immigrant youth, supplemented by specific features of particular relevance for them (for a review see Fahey, Nolan & Whelan, 2003).
The EU and social inclusion: Facing the challenges
January 2009
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Book
Social cohesion is one of the declared objectives of the European Union and, with some 16% of EU citizens at risk of poverty, the need to fight poverty and social exclusion continues as a major challenge. This book provides an in-depth analysis of the EU Social Inclusion Process, the means by which it hopes to meet this objective, and explores the challenges ahead at local, regional, national and EU levels. It sets out concrete proposals for taking the Process forward. The book provides a unique analysis of policy formulation and assessment. Setting out the evolution and current state of EU cooperation in social policy, it examines what can be learned about poverty and social exclusion from the EU commonly agreed indicators. Taking the position of outside, but informed, observers, the authors explore the further development of the common indicators, including the implications of Enlargement, and consider the challenges of advancing the Social Inclusion Process - strengthening policy analysis, embedding the Process in domestic policies and making it more effective. Proposing the setting of targets and restructuring of National Action Plans and their implementation, they emphasise the need for widespread “ownership” of the Process at domestic and EU level and for it to demonstrate significant progress in reducing poverty and social exclusion. The book will be invaluable to academics, students and policy-makers at sub-national, national and EU levels as well as to social partners, and NGOs working towards a more inclusive society.
A dynamic model of the relationship between income and financial satisfaction: Evidence from Ireland
June 2008
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Journal article
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Economic and Social Review
The link between income and subjective satisfaction with one's financial situation is explored in this paper using a panel analysis of 1,998 individuals tracked through the course of the boom period in Ireland, 1994-2001. A dynamic ordered probit model which incorporates state dependence and controls for correlated individual effects and the initial conditions problem is applied. The impact of the level of household income, the time-path of income and deviations of individual income from reference group income and household income are all considered. To the extent that income influences financial satisfaction, there is strong evidence from this paper that the level of household income has the most important effect but this effect is lessened once persistence in the data is controlled for and is diminishing at higher income levels. Controlling for income and socio-economic characteristics, the positive deviations of household income from reference group income are found to have a positive effect on financial satisfaction as are positive deviations of individual income from household income.
Eligibility for free GP care, "need" and GP visiting in Ireland.
May 2008
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Journal article
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The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care
The determinants of general practitioner (GP) visiting patterns in Ireland, in particular the role of eligibility for free GP care, are examined using microdata from a nationally representative survey of the population in 2001. Whereas most studies find that need factors such as age and health status are most important in determining GP visiting rates, the Irish situation is complicated by the distinction between medical card patients, who receive free GP visits, and private patients, who must pay for each visit. Controlling for a variety of need-related and other factors, the results show that health status and medical card eligibility are consistently most important in explaining differences in GP visiting patterns. The medical card result is particularly noteworthy; even when differences in age and other observable characteristics between medical card and private patients are taken into account, medical card patients are both more likely than private patients to visit their GP, and they visit more frequently when they do. In addition, we investigated whether individuals just above the income threshold for a medical card are disadvantaged in terms of accessing GP services in comparison with other private patients on higher incomes. We found that there is little significant difference among private patients in GP visiting rates as we move up the income distribution.
Humans, Health Surveys, Models, Econometric, Age Distribution, Health Status, Sex Distribution, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Physicians, Family, Income, Medical Assistance, Health Services Needs and Demand, State Medicine, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Ireland, Female, Male
The impact of disability transitions on social inclusion.
April 2007
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Journal article
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Social science & medicine (1982)
As the extent of disability increases in society, there is an increasing need to understand its consequences for many aspects of social inclusion. Using the Living in Ireland Survey 1995-2001 (n=2727 adults), we provide a rigorous analysis of the transitions into and out of disability and the related consequences for various characteristics of social inclusion. We compare the effect of onset, exit and persistent disability on household income and the probability of being in poverty. We also look at the impact on daily societal participation for individuals with varying durations of disability. Results show that people with disabilities have much lower levels of social inclusion and imply that related policy should focus on the heterogeneity of disabled people, depending on their respective transitions into disability and the duration of their disability.
Humans, Data Collection, Logistic Models, Social Isolation, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Disabled Persons, Ireland, Female, Male
Housing Expenditures, Housing Poverty and Housing Wealth: Irish Home Owners Brian Nolan In Comparative Context
January 2007
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Chapter
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Housing Contemporary Ireland
3801 Applied Economics, 35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services, 38 Economics, 3504 Commercial Services, 44 Human Society, 4406 Human Geography, 4407 Policy and Administration
Intragenerational Income Mobility: Poverty Dynamics in Industrial Societies
January 2007
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Chapter
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MOVING OUT OF POVERTY, VOL 1: CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES ON MOBILITY
The Interaction of Public and Private Health Insurance: Ireland as a Case Study
October 2006
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Journal article
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The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice
38 Economics, 3801 Applied Economics, 3802 Econometrics, Health Services, Clinical Research, 8 Health and social care services research, 8.1 Organisation and delivery of services, Generic health relevance, 3 Good Health and Well Being
Evaluating the Introduction of a National Minimum Wage: Evidence from a New Survey of Firms in Ireland
March 2006
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Journal article
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Labour
35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services, 3507 Strategy, Management and Organisational Behaviour, 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Trends in economic vulnerability in the Republic of Ireland
March 2006
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Journal article
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Economic and Social Review
In this paper we evaluate trends in levels of economic vulnerability in Ireland during the period 1994-2001. We also document changes in the consequences of such vulnerability for social exclusion and in the social demographic factors with which it is associated. Over time there was a sharp decline in economic vulnerability. Furthermore, the degree of differentiation between the vulnerable and non-vulnerable classes in relation to both economic exclusion and social exclusion, more broadly conceived, remained relatively constant. Ireland is characterised by levels of socio-economic inequality that place it at the more unequal end of the European spectrum. However, the dramatic reductions in levels of vulnerability across the socio-economic spectrum demonstrate that the fruits of the economic boom have been distributed relatively widely.
IRELAND's INCOME DISTRIBUTION IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
December 2005
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Journal article
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Review of Income and Wealth
38 Economics, 3801 Applied Economics, 3802 Econometrics, Behavioral and Social Science, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, 10 Reduced Inequalities
GP reimbursement and visiting behaviour in Ireland.
October 2005
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Journal article
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Health economics
In Ireland, approximately 30% of the population receive free GP services (medical card patients) while the remainder (private patients) must pay for each visit. In 1989, the manner in which GPs were reimbursed by the State for their medical card patients was changed from fee-for-service to capitation while private patients continued to pay on a fee-for-service basis. Concerns about supplier-induced demand were in part responsible for this policy change. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which the utilisation of GP services is influenced by the reimbursement system facing GPs, by comparing visiting rates for the two groups before and after this change. Using a difference-in-differences approach on pooled micro-data from 1987, 1995 and 2000, we find that medical card eligibility has a consistently positive and significant effect on the utilisation of GP services. However, the differential in visiting rates between medical card patients and others did not narrow between 1987 and 1995 or 2000, as might have been anticipated if supplier-induced demand played a major role prior to the change in reimbursement system.
Humans, Data Collection, Models, Econometric, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Physicians, Reimbursement Mechanisms, State Medicine, Office Visits, Ireland, Female, Male
Welfare regimes and household income packaging in the European Union
May 2005
|
Journal article
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Journal of European Social Policy
4407 Policy and Administration, 44 Human Society
An Overview of Economic and Social Opportunities and Disadvantage in European Households
August 2004
|
Chapter
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Human Development across Lives and Generations
Housing Expenditures and Income Poverty in EU Countries
July 2004
|
Journal article
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Journal of Social Policy
4404 Development Studies, 4407 Policy and Administration, 44 Human Society, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, Aging, Behavioral and Social Science, Generic health relevance, 1 No Poverty
Disability and labour force participation in Ireland
June 2004
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Journal article
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Economic and Social Review
The extent and nature of participation in the labour market by persons affected by disability has a multitude of direct and indirect effects on their living standards and quality of life, and so is a critical area for investigation and policy concern. This paper seeks to quantify the effects of disability on labour force participation in Ireland for the first time. Using data from the Living in Ireland Survey, 2000 and the Quarterly National Household Survey Disability Module 2002, we look at the relationship between participation and self-reported disability. The results show that those individuals reporting a severely limiting condition have a much lower probability of participation in the labour force than others, and this continues to be the case having controlled for other characteristics such as age, education and marital status. The reporting of such conditions itself may not be exogenous, however, and this is a priority for further research.
Equity in the utilisation of health care in Ireland
June 2004
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Journal article
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Economic and Social Review
This paper analyses the extent of equity of health service delivery across the income distribution in Ireland - that is the extent to which there is equal treatment for equal need irrespective of income. We find that almost all services, apart from dental and optician services, are used more by those at the lower end of the income distribution, but that this group also have the greatest need for health care. The comparison of health need to health care delivery across the income distribution without standardising for confounding factors suggests that those in higher income groups receive more health care for a given health status indicating inequity. However, need for health care is highest among the elderly and this group also tend to be at the bottom of the income distribution. Once we standardise for age, sex and location we find that hospital services are distributed equitably across the income distribution, whereas GP and prescription services tend to be pro-poor (used more by those with lower incomes for a given health status) and dental and optician services tend to be pro-rich (used more by those with higher incomes for a given health status).
Inter-industry wage differentials in Ireland
June 2004
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Journal article
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Economic and Social Review
This paper investigates inter-industry wage differentials in Ireland, taking advantage of access to a dataset that is uniquely suitable for this purpose, the 1996 Structure of Earnings Survey. This allows us to measure not simply overall differentials in the average wage across sectors, but also the extent to which these are associated with a range of employee, job, employer and sectoral characteristics. The results show that there are substantial differences in earnings across industrial sectors in Ireland, predominantly but not only reflecting differences in measured human capital of workers and attributes of their jobs. While unobserved individual and job characteristics may underpin the remaining differentials, efficiency wage or rent-sharing could also be playing a role. Including a range of firm and sectoral characteristics relevant to the latter does not markedly alter the scale of inter-industry differentials, but firm fixed effects seem important. The dispersion of wages across industries, controlling for observed employee, job and employer characteristics, is quite high in Ireland compared to other industrialised countries.
Indicators and Targets for Social Inclusion in the European Union
February 2004
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Journal article
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JCMS Journal of Common Market Studies
4407 Policy and Administration, 44 Human Society
Social indicators: the EU and social inclusion
November 2003
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Book
<p style="text-align:justify;"> Social indicators are an important tool for evaluating a country's level of social development and for assessing the impact of policy. Such indicators are already in use in investigating poverty and social exclusion in several European countries and have begun to play a significant role in advancing the social dimension of the EU as a whole. The purpose of this book is to make a scientific contribution to the development of social indicators for the purposes of European policy‐making. It considers the principles underlying the construction of policy‐relevant indicators, the definition of indicators, and the issues that arise in their implementation, including that of the statistical data required. It seeks to bring together theoretical and methodological methods in the measurement of poverty/social exclusion with the empirical practice of social policy. The experience of member states is reviewed, including an assessment of the National Action Plans on Social Inclusion submitted for the first time in June 2001 by the 15 EU governments. The key areas covered by the book are poverty, including its intensity and persistence, income inequality, non‐monetary deprivation, low educational attainment, unemployment, joblessness, poor health, poor housing and homelessness, functional illiteracy and innumeracy, and restricted social participation. In each case, the book assesses the strengths and weaknesses of different indicators relevant to social inclusion in the EU, and makes recommendations for the indicators to be employed. The book is based on a report prepared at the request of the Belgian government, as part of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2001, and presented at a conference on ‘Indicators for Social Inclusion: Making Common EU Objectives Work’ held at Antwerp on 14–15 Sept 2001. </p>
Political Science, SBTMR
Earnings inequality, returns to education and immigration into Ireland
The European Union adopted in December 2001 a set of common indicators for social inclusion. This paper describes the background to the adoption of the indicators, and the work undertaken as part of the Belgian Presidency. It sets out principles for the construction of social indicators for this purpose, emphasising their role as performance indicators: The concern is with outputs not inputs. The principles apply to single indicators and to the portfolio of indicators as a whole. These principles influence the structure and presentation of indicators. We propose a three-Tier approach: A small number of common lead indicators for the main fields that we believe should be covered, a larger number of (again common) secondary indicators providing greater detail, and a third level of indicators that Member States decide to include. Finally we discuss the process for taking forward the development of indicators for social inclusion.
Income, Deprivation, and Economic Strain. An Analysis of the European Community Household Panel
December 2001
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Journal article
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European Sociological Review
4410 Sociology, 44 Human Society
Persistent and Consistent Poverty in the 1994 and 1995 Waves of the European Community Household Panel Survey
December 2001
|
Journal article
|
Review of Income and Wealth
38 Economics, 3502 Banking, Finance and Investment, 3801 Applied Economics, 35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services, Behavioral and Social Science, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, 1 No Poverty
Reassessing income and deprivation approaches to the measurement of poverty in the Republic of Ireland
December 2001
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Journal article
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Economic and Social Review
This paper reassesses the validity of a poverty measure combining relative income and non-monetary deprivation indicators, first developed and applied to Irish data for 1987, in the light of experience since then and current debates. A crucial issue is whether the measure has failed to capture fundamental changes in livings patterns and expectations. A range of analyses confirm that it continues to identify a set of households experiencing distinctive levels of generalised deprivation, economic strain, psychological distress and exposure to persistent income poverty.
Explaining Levels of Deprivation in the European Union
June 2001
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Journal article
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Acta Sociologica
4410 Sociology, 44 Human Society, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, Behavioral and Social Science, Generic health relevance
Health insurance and health services utilization in Ireland.
March 2001
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Journal article
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Health economics
The numbers buying private health insurance in Ireland have continued to grow, despite a broadening in entitlement to public care. About 40% of the population now have insurance, although everyone has entitlement to public hospital care. In this paper, we examine in detail the growth in insurance coverage and the factors underlying the demand for insurance. Attitudinal responses reveal the importance of perceptions about waiting times for public care, as well as some concerns about the quality of that care. Individual characteristics, such as education, age, gender, marital status, family composition and income all influence the probability of purchasing private insurance. We also examine the relationship between insurance and utilization of hospital in-patient services. The positive effect of private insurance appears less than that of entitlement to full free health care from the state, although the latter is means-tested, and may partly represent health status.
Humans, Linear Models, Attitude to Health, Health Status, Needs Assessment, Hospitals, Public, Health Services, Insurance, Health, Health Services Research, National Health Programs, Privatization, Ireland
Strategic interaction among hospitals and nursing facilities: the efficiency effects of payment systems and vertical integration.
March 2001
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Journal article
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Health economics
Rising post-acute care expenditures for Medicare transfer patients and increasing vertical integration between hospitals and nursing facilities raise questions about the links between payment system structure, the incentive for vertical integration and the impact on efficiency. In the United States, policy-makers are responding to these concerns by initiating prospective payments to nursing facilities, and are exploring the bundling of payments to hospitals. This paper develops a static profit-maximization model of the strategic interaction between the transferring hospital and a receiving nursing facility. This model suggests that the post-1984 system of prospective payment for hospital care, coupled with nursing facility payments that reimburse for services performed, induces inefficient under-provision of hospital services and encourages vertical integration. It further indicates that the extension of prospective payment to nursing facilities will not eliminate the incentive to vertically integrate, and will not result in efficient production unless such integration takes place. Bundling prospective payments for hospitals and nursing facilities will neither remove the incentive for vertical integration nor induce production efficiency without such vertical integration. However, bundled payment will induce efficient production, with or without vertical integration, if nursing facilities are reimbursed for services performed.
Humans, Episode of Care, Patient Transfer, Subacute Care, Models, Organizational, Aged, Hospitals, Public, Nursing Homes, Medicare, Prospective Payment System, Efficiency, Organizational, Interinstitutional Relations, Delivery of Health Care, Integrated, United States
Poverty Within Households: Measuring Gender Differences Using Nonmonetary Indicators
January 2001
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Journal article
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Feminist Economics
4404 Development Studies, 44 Human Society, Mental Health, Behavioral and Social Science, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, 1 Underpinning research, 1.2 Psychological and socioeconomic processes, Generic health relevance, 1 No Poverty
A comparative perspective on trends in income inequality in Ireland
December 2000
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Journal article
|
Economic and Social Review
Both overall income inequality and inequality in the distribution of earnings rose sharply during the 1980s and 1990s in a number of industrialised countries, notably the UK and the USA. This makes it particularly important to know how the distribution of income in Ireland has been changing over time, how it compares with other countries, and what factors contribute to explaining Ireland's particular experience. This paper addresses these issues with household survey data allowing us to provide a picture of the distribution of household income in Ireland up to 1997. This allows us to assess for the first time how inequality has been changing during Ireland's boom. Comparisons are also made with recent estimates for other countries, notably from the European Community Household Panel, so that both Ireland's current distribution and trends over time can be placed in comparative perspective. A decomposition analysis of changes over time is implemented, and trends in the distribution of earnings among individual employees are also analysed.
Targeting Poverty: Lessons from Monitoring Ireland's National Anti-Poverty Strategy
October 2000
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Journal article
|
Journal of Social Policy
4404 Development Studies, 44 Human Society, Behavioral and Social Science, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, 1 No Poverty, 10 Reduced Inequalities
Equity in the delivery of health care in Europe and the US.
September 2000
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Journal article
|
Journal of health economics
This paper presents a comparison of horizontal equity in health care utilization in 10 European countries and the US. It does not only extend previous work by using more recent data from a larger set of countries, but also uses new methods and presents disaggregated results by various types of care. In all countries, the lower-income groups are more intensive users of the health care system. But after indirect standardization for need differences, there is little or no evidence of significant inequity in the delivery of health care overall, though in half of the countries, significant pro-rich inequity emerges for physician contacts. This seems to be due mainly to a higher use of medical specialist services by higher-income groups and a higher use of GP care among lower-income groups. These findings appear to be fairly general and emerge in countries with very diverse characteristics regarding access and provider incentives.
Humans, Data Collection, Health Status Indicators, Models, Econometric, Medicine, Social Justice, Income, Health Services, Health Services Needs and Demand, Primary Health Care, Health Services Accessibility, United States, Europe, Specialization
Socioeconomic inequalities in cardiovascular disease mortality; an international study.
July 2000
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Journal article
|
European heart journal
BackgroundDifferences between socioeconomic groups in mortality from and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases have been reported in many countries. We have made a comparative analysis of these inequalities in the United States and 11 western European countries. The aims of the analysis were (1) to compare the size of inequalities in cardiovascular disease mortality between countries, and (2) to explore the possible contribution of cardiovascular risk factors to the explanation of between-country differences in inequalities in cardiovascular disease mortality.Data and methodsData on ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and total cardiovascular disease mortality by occupational class and/or educational level were obtained from national longitudinal or unlinked cross-sectional studies. Data on smoking, alcohol consumption, overweight and infrequent consumption of fresh vegetables by occupational class and/or educational level were obtained from national health interview or multipurpose surveys and from the European Union's Eurobarometer survey. Age-adjusted rate ratios for mortality were correlated with age-adjusted odds ratios for the behavioural risk factors.ResultsIn all countries mortality from cardiovascular diseases is higher among persons with lower occupational class or lower educational level. Within western Europe, a north-south gradient is apparent, with relative and absolute inequalities being larger in the north than in the south. For ischaemic heart disease, but not for cerebrovascular disease, an even more striking north-south gradient is seen, with some 'reverse' inequalities in southern Europe. The United States occupy intermediate positions on most indicators. Inequalities in cardiovascular disease mortality are associated with inequalities in some risk factors, especially cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.ConclusionsSocioeconomic inequalities in cardiovascular disease mortality are a major public health problem in most industrialized countries. Closing the gap between low and high socioeconomic groups offers great potential for reducing cardiovascular disease mortality. Developing effective methods of behavioural risk factor reduction in the lower socioeconomic groups should be a top priority in cardiovascular disease prevention.
Humans, Cardiovascular Diseases, Registries, Survival Rate, Risk Factors, Cross-Sectional Studies, Age Distribution, Sex Distribution, Socioeconomic Factors, Adult, Middle Aged, Female, Male, Global Health
Urban housing and the role of 'underclass' processes: the case of Ireland
February 2000
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Journal article
|
Journal of European Social Policy
4406 Human Geography, 4407 Policy and Administration, 44 Human Society, Behavioral and Social Science, Mental Health, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, 2 Aetiology, 2.3 Psychological, social and economic factors
Equity in the finance of health care: some further international comparisons.
June 1999
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Journal article
|
Journal of health economics
This paper presents further international comparisons of progressivity of health care financing systems. The paper builds on the work of Wagstaff et al. [Wagstaff, A., van Doorslaer E., et al., 1992. Equity in the finance of health care: some international comparisons, Journal of Health Economics 11, pp. 361-387] but extends it in a number of directions: we modify the methodology used there and achieve a higher degree of cross-country comparability in variable definitions; we update and extend the cross-section of countries; and we present evidence on trends in financing mixes and progressivity.
Humans, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Social Justice, Health Policy, Income, Insurance, Health, Taxes, Health Services Research, National Health Programs, Europe, Finland, Germany, Sweden
Returns to education in the Irish youth labour market
The redistributive effect of health care finance in twelve OECD countries.
June 1999
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Journal article
|
Journal of health economics
The OECD countries finance their health care through a mixture of taxes, social insurance contributions, private insurance premiums and out-of-pocket payments. The various payment sources have very different implications for both vertical and horizontal equity and on redistributive effect which is a function of both. This paper presents results on the income redistribution consequences of the health care financing mixes adopted in twelve OECD countries by decomposing the overall income redistributive effect into a progressivity, horizontal inequity and reranking component. The general finding of this study is that the vertical effect is much more important than horizontal inequity and reranking in determining the overall redistributive effect but that their relative importance varies by source of payment. Public finance sources tend to have small positive redistributive effects and less differential treatment while private financing sources generally have (larger) negative redistributive effects which are to a substantial degree caused by differential treatment.
Humans, Models, Econometric, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Social Justice, Health Policy, Insurance, Health, Financing, Personal, Taxes, Health Services Research, National Health Programs, Europe
Redistributive effect, progressivity and differential tax treatment: Personal income taxes in twelve OECD countries
Rising Wage Inequality, Returns to Education and Labour Market Institutions: Evidence from Ireland
March 1999
|
Journal article
|
British Journal of Industrial Relations
4404 Development Studies, 38 Economics, 3801 Applied Economics, 44 Human Society
Occupational class and ischemic heart disease mortality in the United States and 11 European countries.
January 1999
|
Journal article
|
American journal of public health
ObjectivesTwelve countries were compared with respect to occupational class differences in ischemic heart disease mortality in order to identify factors that are associated with smaller or larger mortality differences.MethodsData on mortality by occupational class among men aged 30 to 64 years were obtained from national longitudinal or cross-sectional studies for the 1980s. A common occupational class scheme was applied to most countries. Potential effects of the main data problems were evaluated quantitatively.ResultsA north-south contrast existed within Europe. In England and Wales, Ireland, and Nordic countries, manual classes had higher mortality rates than nonmanual classes. In France, Switzerland, and Mediterranean countries, manual classes had mortality rates as low as, or lower than, those among nonmanual classes. Compared with Northern Europe, mortality differences in the United States were smaller (among men aged 30-44 years) or about as large (among men aged 45-64 years).ConclusionsThe results underline the highly variable nature of socioeconomic inequalities in ischemic heart disease mortality. These inequalities appear to be highly sensitive to social gradients in behavioral risk factors. These risk factor gradients are determined by cultural as well as socioeconomic developments.
Humans, Myocardial Ischemia, Population Surveillance, Risk Factors, Longitudinal Studies, Cross-Sectional Studies, Age Distribution, Cultural Characteristics, Socioeconomic Factors, Adult, Middle Aged, Occupations, United States, Europe, Male
Survey Information on Household Assets: Some Irish Lessons
January 1999
|
Journal article
|
The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice
38 Economics, 3502 Banking, Finance and Investment, 3801 Applied Economics, 35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
Are Married Women More Deprived Than Their Husbands?
April 1998
|
Journal article
|
Journal of Social Policy
4404 Development Studies, 44 Human Society, 4410 Sociology, 4403 Demography, Behavioral and Social Science, Clinical Research, Generic health relevance, 1 No Poverty, 10 Reduced Inequalities
Segmented labour markets and earnings in Ireland
December 1997
|
Journal article
|
Economic and Social Review
Segmented labour market theory rests on two central tenets. The first is that it is meaningful to distinguish between primary labour markets providing "good" jobs with high wages and stable employment and secondary labour markets providing "bad" jobs with low pay and unstable employment. The second is that jobs in primary labour markets are rationed, with substantial barriers to entry from secondary labour markets. The rationing hypothesis cannot be tested for Ireland with the data available, but here we test the hypothesis that wage determination differs across sectors, using data from a 1987 ESRI household survey. Two formulations of the segmented labour market model are tested, one distinguishing only primary and secondary sectors and the other distinguishing four sectors employed in recent US research by Gordon. Estimating standard earnings functions for both variants suggests that returns to education are lower in secondary markets, as predicted by segmentation theory, but contrary to the theory's predictions returns to work experience do not differ across sectors. There may be a less clear-cut divide between sectors in European countries than in the USA, partly because of the role of trade unions. The policy implications of adopting a segmented labour market perspective are markedly different from those of human capital theory on some central issues of labour market policy, so further investigation of that perspective appears warranted.
What has happened to replacement rates?
October 1996
|
Journal article
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Economic and Social Review
This paper compares different approaches to measuring changes in replacement rates to Ireland over time. Results based on microsimulation modelling suggest that the average replacement rate facing unemployed persons was roughly constant between 1987 and 1994, with a small rise for those on Unemployment Assistance offset by a decline for those on Unemployment Benefit. The mean predicted wage facing the unemployed is about two-thirds of the average industrial wage. Time-series constructed using average expenditure per unemployment compensation recipient and average earnings do not accurately reflect changes in mean replacement rates. In addition to providing a better measure of the overall trend in replacement rates, microsimulation modelling provides a picture of their distribution, showing that the incidence of cash replacement rates over 80 per cent fell between 1987 and 1994 but the numbers facing rates between 70 and 80 per cent rose.
Measuring Poverty Using Income and Deprivation Indicators: Alternative Approaches
August 1996
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Journal article
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Journal of European Social Policy
4404 Development Studies, 4407 Policy and Administration, 44 Human Society, Behavioral and Social Science, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, 1 No Poverty
Poverty, Inequality and Reconstruction in South Africa
June 1995
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Journal article
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Development Policy Review
4404 Development Studies, 4407 Policy and Administration, 4408 Political Science, 44 Human Society
General practitioner utilisation in Ireland: the role of socio-economic factors.
March 1994
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Journal article
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Social science & medicine (1982)
Substantial variation across socio-economic groups in general practitioner utilisation patterns is observed in Ireland. This may reflect both the influence of socio-economic factors on health and on the demand for health care, and the fact that lower income groups are entitled to free GP care whereas the remainder of the population must pay on a fee-per-item basis. The paper analyses the influence of economic incentives and socio-economic factors on GP utilisation using data obtained in a large-scale household survey. This allows the different utilisation patterns of different social classes/income groups, and those with entitlement to free care vs the remainder of the population, to be documented. The importance of attempting to control for health status is shown, and the difficulties in trying to disentangle the effects of incentives from those of social class or income illustrated.
Humans, Family Practice, Health Status, Social Class, Socioeconomic Factors, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Office Visits, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Ireland, Female, Male
Perinatal mortality and low birthweight by socio-economic background: evidence for Ireland
January 1994
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Journal article
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Economic & Social Review
Newly-available data from the perinatal reporting system are used to examine the variation across socio-economic groups in perinatal mortality and low birthweight rates in Ireland. The results show significant effects of socio-economic background, mother's age and parity (number of previous births) on both perinatal mortality and low birthweight. The risk of perinatal mortality is highest where the father is an unskilled manual worker or unemployed, and this effect is most pronounced where the mother is aged 35 or more. Low birthweight is most prevalent for mothers from that socio-economic background aged under 20. -Authors
General practitioner visiting rates in Ireland by entitlement category.
September 1993
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Journal article
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Irish medical journal
General practitioner visits reported by 6334 adults in a nationally representative sample of households for 1987 are analysed. Unlike Tussing's study some measures of health status are available and the results show that their omission biases the estimated impact of membership of Entitlement Category I in a regression model upwards. When they are included in the model, though, Category I membership still has a significant positive effect on visiting rates.
Humans, Health Status Indicators, Family Practice, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, State Medicine, House Calls, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Ireland, Female, Male
Poverty dynamics in eight countries
August 1993
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Journal article
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Journal of Population Economics
44 Human Society, 4403 Demography, Pediatric, 10 Reduced Inequalities
Economic incentives, health status and health services utilisation.
July 1993
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Journal article
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Journal of health economics
The impact on utilisation of differential public entitlements to free health services is analysed, using data for a large sample of Irish households. GP visiting rates are seen to be significantly higher for those on low incomes whose costs are covered by the State than for those who pay for such care, having controlled for other characteristics including health status. The importance of taking differences in health status into account in attempting to distinguish the effects of economic incentives is shown both for GP visits and hospital stays.
Humans, Hospitalization, Data Collection, Logistic Models, Least-Squares Analysis, Motivation, Health Status, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Physicians, Family, Income, Health Care Costs, Medical Assistance, Insurance, Health, National Health Programs, Office Visits, Health Services Accessibility, Ireland, Female, Male
Resources, Deprivation and the Measurement of Poverty*
April 1993
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Journal article
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Journal of Social Policy
4404 Development Studies, 44 Human Society, 1 No Poverty, 10 Reduced Inequalities
CONCEPTS OF POVERTY AND THE POVERTY LINE
September 1991
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Journal article
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Journal of Economic Surveys
38 Economics, 3502 Banking, Finance and Investment, 3801 Applied Economics, 35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services, 1 No Poverty
Socio-economic mortality differentials in Ireland
January 1990
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Journal article
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Economic & Social Review
Differences in mortality rates between socio-economic groups for Ireland are analysed, using the standard methodology which has been extensively applied in other countries. This involves relating data on deaths by socio-economic group, gathered at time of death, to the total population in each group as shown in the Census of Population. Based on 1981 data for men aged 15-64, significant differentials in standardised mortality rates are found between professional/managerial occupational groups and semi-skilled or unskilled manual categories. Problems which arise due to the nature of the data are discussed, drawing on British experience. -Author
An Evaluation of the New Official Low Income Statistics
November 1989
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Journal article
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Fiscal Studies
38 Economics, 4407 Policy and Administration, 3801 Applied Economics, 44 Human Society
Evaluating social welfare expenditures: how well does the system perform in reducing poverty?
January 1989
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Journal article
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Economic & Social Review
The results of the ESRI Survey of Income Distribution, Poverty and Usage of State services are used to assess the success of the Irish social welfare system in alleviating poverty. Evaluating the system in terms of its effectiveness in bringing people up to independently-derived relative income standards, about 70-80% of the pre-transfer poverty gap was eliminated by social welfare payments. The percentage of spending on transfers which goes towards bringing people up to the poverty line varied between 54% and 77% depending on the standard chosen. The Irish system appears rather less effective in reducing poverty than those of some other developed countries. Rationalisation of the payment structure could increase the effectiveness of the system in alleviating poverty, though at current overall spending levels this would not be sufficient to bring everyone up to the highest of the relative poverty standards. -from Authors
Measuring trends in poverty over time: some robust results for Ireland 1980-87
January 1989
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Journal article
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Economic & Social Review
The trend in poverty in Ireland between 1980 and 1987 is analysed, using the 1980 Household Budget Survey and the ESRI 1987 Survey of Income, Distribution, Poverty and Usage of State Services. In addition to the number falling below poverty thresholds, more sophisticated aggregate poverty measures are derived, taking into account the extent to which the poor fall below the poverty line and the distribution of income among the poor. Results for the trend in poverty which are robust over a range of relative poverty lines and equivalence scales are found: these measures show an unambiguous increase in poverty between 1980 and 1987. -from Authors
DIRECT TAXATION, TRANSFERS AND RERANKING: SOME EMPIRICAL RESULTS FOR THE UK
August 1987
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Journal article
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Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics
38 Economics, 3801 Applied Economics, 3802 Econometrics, 3803 Economic Theory
CYCLICAL FLUCTUATIONS IN FACTOR SHARES AND THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME
June 1987
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Journal article
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Review of Income and Wealth
38 Economics, 3802 Econometrics
Comment on ‘Cyclical and secular influences on the size distribution of personal income in the UK: some econometric tests’ by G. Weil
