Publication: Poverty and Income Distribution in a High Growth Economy : The Case of Chile 1987-98, Volume 1. Main Report
Loading...
Published
2001-08-30
ISSN
Date
2013-08-28
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The study analyzes Chile's strong economic growth, and well directed social programs, a combination that reduced the poverty rate in half, during a period of just eleven years. The previously noted trends in falling poverty, in terms of incidence, depth, and severity, continued into 1998, and the analysis shows there was unambiguously less poverty between 1994, and 1998, observed at all levels of income. Clearly, income poverty is related to, and impacted by a number of important factors, such as level of education, larger families, or families headed by women, and employment opportunities. Evidence shows Chile achieved considerable improvements in key social indicators, i.e., infant mortality, life expectancy, and educational coverage, for the combination of the three social sector deficit measures of poverty - education, health, and housing - with the income poverty measure, reveals that fifty one percent of all households have neither social sector, nor income deficits. Nonetheless, income inequality remained high by international standards, and appeared to have worsened between 1994-98. Thus, adjusting income inequality for social spending became an important estimate, particularly if social programs were growing. The methodology estimated imputed income transfers from subsidies in the three sectors, and the analysis confirmed that adjustments for in-kind income transfers, substantially reduce the Gini coefficient on income inequality. Results indicate that Chile's success in reducing income disparities through social spending is linked to its system for targeting social programs.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2001. Poverty and Income Distribution in a High Growth Economy : The Case of Chile 1987-98, Volume 1. Main Report. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15468 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Chile's High Growth Economy : Poverty and Income Distribution, 1987-1998(Washington, DC, 2002)The present study focuses on four main objectives. First, it presents an update of poverty, and income distribution measures, reported in 1997 by the Bank; second, it looks at deficiencies in social services, and how to improve social services targeted to the poor; third, it considers how trends in income distribution could be modified, if taking into account the transfer effect of social programs; and, fourth, it looks at some special issues that impact on poverty, namely unemployment, and the problems of indigenous peoples. Given the relatively high levels of unemployment, the persistence in educational deficits, and the low coverage of social programs amongst the poor, recommendations suggest, respectively, a focus on relevant, job creation aspects, in line with labor market demands, not merely responsive to the renewed economic growth, to include as well, further labor code, and unemployment insurance system reforms; efforts to consolidate, and intensify the quality, and equity in education, particularly tertiary education to advance Chile's human capital; and, improved targeting of social programs, with attention to regional disparities in the allocation of social spending, particularly as it regards poverty among indigenous communities.Publication Poverty and Income Distribution in a High Growth Economy : The Case of Chile 1987-98, Volume 2. Background Papers(Washington, DC, 2001-08-30)The study analyzes Chile's strong economic growth, and well directed social programs, a combination that reduced the poverty rate in half, during a period of just eleven years. The previously noted trends in falling poverty, in terms of incidence, depth, and severity, continued into 1998, and the analysis shows there was unambiguously less poverty between 1994, and 1998, observed at all levels of income. Clearly, income poverty is related to, and impacted by a number of important factors, such as level of education, larger families, or families headed by women, and employment opportunities. Evidence shows Chile achieved considerable improvements in key social indicators, i.e., infant mortality, life expectancy, and educational coverage, for the combination of the three social sector deficit measures of poverty - education, health, and housing - with the income poverty measure, reveals that fifty one percent of all households have neither social sector, nor income deficits. Nonetheless, income inequality remained high by international standards, and appeared to have worsened between 1994-98. Thus, adjusting income inequality for social spending became an important estimate, particularly if social programs were growing. The methodology estimated imputed income transfers from subsidies in the three sectors, and the analysis confirmed that adjustments for in-kind income transfers, substantially reduce the Gini coefficient on income inequality. Results indicate that Chile's success in reducing income disparities through social spending is linked to its system for targeting social programs.Publication Dominican Republic - Poverty Assessment : Poverty in a High-Growth Economy, 1986-2000, Volume 1. Main Report(Washington, DC, 2001-12-17)Since its recovery of macroeconomic stability in 1991, the Dominican Republic has experienced a period of notable economic growth. Poverty has declined in the 1990s. Nevertheless, a segment of the population-mainly in rural areas-does not seem to have benefited from this growth. Poverty in this country in 1998 is less than that of other countries if one adjusts for the level of economic development. The principal poverty characteristics are the following: Disparity in poverty levels in rural areas relative to the rest of the country. Destitution in the "bateyes," the communities arising near the sugar cane plantations, that are mainly composed of women, children, and the aged. Urban vulnerability to environmental problems while access to basic services is restricted. Vulnerability to natural disasters that destroy the means of production. Poverty is high among children--especially those who have abandoned formal education-female-headed households, and the aged-the latter due to lack of social safety nets and the absence of pension systems. There is a strong correlation between poverty and health indicators like the presence of malnutrition, and poverty and education, and poverty and the absence of basic services. Government transfers and foreign remittances play an important role in reducing poverty.Publication Arab Republic of Egypt : Poverty Assessment Update, Volume 1. Main Report(Washington, DC, 2007-09-16)This report on the Poverty Assessment Update of Egypt is a contribution to the strategy of poverty alleviation pursued by the Government of Egypt. Using data from the two household surveys in 2000 and 2005, this report assesses the nature and dimensions of poverty in Egypt, and discusses the role of macroeconomic policies and labor markets in improving living standards. The report updates the findings of "Poverty Reduction in Egypt: Diagnosis and Strategy," published by the World Bank in 2002. Over the last two years Egypt has achieved remarkably high economic growth. Should this turnaround be sustained, there is hope that poverty can be dramatically reduced. Even though the report does not cover this most recent period, it is important to learn from the lessons of the recent past, and the report provides new information and insights that could be useful for policy-makers: 1) It identifies the overall scope and trends in poverty between 2000 and 2005, focusing on material aspects, but also assessing progress in non-income dimensions; 2) It isolates key correlates to poverty and economic vulnerability, providing detailed analysis of how inflation affected the poor in this period; 3) It links the labor market's developments with changes in living standards and poverty; and 4) It provides the analytical base for mapping poverty in Egypt, which can improve the targeting of social programs. The first chapter examines the evolution of living standards in Egypt during the period of analysis - 2000 to 2005. It also gives the details of the poverty map and where the poor live. Chapter 2 describes who the poor are and provides the poverty correlates: looking at the characteristics of the poor and the relation of these characteristics to education (and access to education), employment, gender, age, or asset characteristics. Chapter 3 continues by providing some background on economic developments between 2000 and 2005 and identifies possible areas of policy interventions in light of economic and social policies and developments after 2005. Chapter 4 offers in-depth analysis of the labor market to attempt to discern longer-term trends in living standards, and links employment with poverty levels. Finally, Chapter 5 looks at the capacity of the monitoring system, and lays the foundations for a future analytical program.Publication 2011 Philippines Development Report : Generating Inclusive Growth to Uplift the Poor(World Bank, 2011-02-01)The theme of the 2011 Philippines development report is 'generating inclusive growth, uplifting the poor and vulnerable'. This theme is follows from the priorities set in President Aquino's Social Contract and the emerging 2011-2016 Philippines Development Plan (PDP). The PDP details the vision of inclusive growth and poverty reduction that underlies the social contract (chapter one). Accordingly, the PDP focuses on three strategic objectives: (1) attaining a sustained and high rate of economic growth that provides productive employment opportunities, (2) equalizing access to development opportunities for all Filipinos, and (3) implementing effective social safety nets to protect and enable those who do not have the capability to participate in the economic growth process. While the country's development agenda remains broadly the same over the last decade, the Aquino government is focusing on stepped-up implementation and delivery. The pressing development issues confronting the Philippines in 2011 are not radically different from those of previous years. The critical difference is the new government's focus on effective implementation and delivery of public goods and services, starting with a firm approach to fighting corruption and improving governance.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
No results found.