Publication: Global Poverty and Inequality : A Review of the Evidence
Date
2008-05
ISSN
Published
2008-05
Author(s)
Abstract
Drawing on a compilation of data from
household surveys representing 130 countries, many over a
period of 25 years, this paper reviews the evidence on
levels and recent trends in global poverty and income
inequality. It documents the negative correlations between
both poverty and inequality indices, on the one hand, and
mean income per capita on the other. It points to the
dominant role of Asia in accounting for the bulk of the
world's poverty reduction since 1981. The evolution of
global inequality in the last decades is also described,
with special emphasis on the different trends of inequality
within and between countries. The statistical relationships
between growth, inequality and poverty are discussed, as is
the correlation between inequality and the growth elasticity
of poverty reduction. Some of the recent literature on the
drivers of distributional change in developing countries is
also reviewed.
Citation
“Ferreira, Francisco H.G.; Ravallion, Martin. 2008. Global Poverty and Inequality : A Review of the Evidence. Policy Research Working Paper No. 4623. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/55bc85e7-08f1-53be-92c7-80976edb651c License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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