Beyond Piketty: A new perspective on poverty and inequality in India

The socio-economic literature has focused much on how overall inequality in income distribution (frequently measured by the Gini coefficient) undermines the “trickle down” effect. In other words, the higher the inequality in the income distribution, the lower is the growth elasticity of poverty. However, with the publication of Piketty’s magnum opus (2014), and a subsequent study by Chancel and Piketty (2017) of evolution of income inequality in India since 1922, the focus has shifted to the income disparity between the richest 1% (or 0.01%) and the bottom 50%. Their central argument is that the rapid growth of income at the top end of millionaires and billionaires is a by-product of growth. The present study extends this argument by linking it to poverty indices in India. Based on the India Human Development Survey 2005–12 – a nationwide panel survey-we examine the links between poverty and income inequality, especially in the upper tail relative to the bottom 50%, state affluence (measured in per capita income) and their interaction or their joint effect. Another feature of our research is that we analyse their effects on the FGT class of poverty indices. The results are similar in as much as direction of association is concerned but the elasticities vary with the poverty index. The growth elasticities are negative and significant for all poverty indices. In all three cases, the disparity between the income share of the top 1% and share of the bottom 50% is associated with greater poverty. These elasticities are much higher than the (absolute) income elasticities except in the case of the poverty gap. The largest increase occurs in the poverty gap squared – a 1% greater income disparity is associated with a 1.24% higher value of this index. Thus the consequences of even a small increase in the income disparity are alarming for the poorest.     

新疆农村贫困程度测度与扶贫资金动态绩效分析

新疆作为一个多民族、多宗教、多文化、多语言共存的特殊地区,扎实应对和稳步解决新疆贫困问题,事关祖国边疆的安全与稳定。首先,通过测算1994—2009年FGT贫困指数后发现:新疆农村的贫困广度、贫困深度和贫困强度的变化趋势具有波动性和阶段性特征,而且近几年减贫速度明显放缓,甚至有趋于加重的趋势;新疆农村居民的收入差距状况也不容乐观,正处于危险的边缘。然后,利用状态空间模型分析扶贫资金对贫困程度的动态扶贫绩效,得出以下结论:信贷扶贫资金的整体表现最佳,财政扶贫资金作用居中,以工代赈资金则在降低贫困强度方面表现较好;同时,总结出以下规律:当贫困程度较深时,具有较强盈利性的信贷扶贫资金和较强扩散性的财政扶贫资金更为有效;当由大范围贫困转为少数人贫困时,具有较强针对性的以工代赈资金更为有效。     

An empirical analysis of monetary and multidimensional poverty: evidence from a household survey in Pakistan

ABSTRACT

The present study computes multidimensional poverty and compares it with unidimensional estimates of poverty for the district of Mandi Bahuddin in the Punjab province of Pakistan for the years 2010 and 2014. By employing the Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) and Alkire-Foster Methods, the incidence, severity and depth of unidimensional and multidimensionality poverty was estimated. We found an increase in absolute and relative poverty levels in 2014 as compared to 2010. The multidimensional poverty in terms of household assets has also increased over time. However, the relative proportion of educational and health poverty towards MPI remains higher, thereby calling for a holistic approach to identify multidimensional poverty in the social sector. A comprehensive policy dossier needs to be framed for designing effective poverty alleviation and social welfare programmes in the Punjab, Pakistan.     

边疆地区农村贫困程度的测度与模拟分析——以新疆维吾尔自治区为例

利用2000-2009年新疆农村收入分组数据,首先计算历年新疆农村FGT贫困指数,分析新疆农村贫困程度的变化情况;其次对新疆农村FGT贫困指数进行分解,探讨经济增长、收入分配和贫困线变动对新疆农村贫困程度的影响;最后模拟分析各个贫困指标对贫困线变动的敏感程度。研究结果表明：新千年开始后新疆农村贫困程度变化具有一定的阶段性特点,大体经历了大幅下降、平缓变动、小幅上扬三个阶段;FGT贫困指数分解后发现,各期影响因素作用不一,经济增长的减贫效应最为明显,收入分配状况的改善或者恶化产生了不一样的减贫作用,贫困线上调最明显的效应是新疆农村贫困面扩大;模拟贫困线上调后发现各贫困指标对贫困线较小幅度的变动具有较高的敏感性。新疆农村的贫困问题比较复杂,最近有进一步加重的趋势,尤其是最贫困人口的境况需要获得更多的关注,基于此提出了相关政策建议。     

Multidimensional Poverty: Measurement,Estimation, and Inference

Calibration in macroeconomics involves choosing fre parameters by matching certain moments of simulted models with those of data. We formally examine this method by treating the process of calibration as an econometric estimator. A numerical version of the Mehra-Prescott (1985) economy is the setting for an evaluation of calibration estimators via Monte Carlo methods. While these estimators sometimes have reasonable finite-sample properties they are not robust to mistakes in setting non-free parameters. In contrast, generalized method-of-moments (GMM) estimators have satisfactory finite-sample characteristics, quick convergence, and informational requirements less stringent than those of calibration estimators. In dynamic equilibrium models in which GMM is infeasible we offer some suggestions for improving estimates based on calibration methodology.     

西北地区城镇居民贫困程度的测度与实证分析

西北地区五省是我国西部大开发战略的重点发展省份,作为欠发达地区,城镇居民的贫困问题阻碍了城镇功能的充分发挥,成为制约地方发展的重要因素。通过对西北五省FGT贫困指数的测算发现,陕西贫困状况改善最为明显;甘肃和宁夏也有比较明显的减贫效果;青海成为目前西北五省中贫困问题最严重的省份;新疆贫困控制效果差,贫困问题突出。与全国相比,西北地区仍然是城镇贫困问题较严重的地区。实证分析的结果显示,经济增长和财政支出能够有效地降低城镇贫困,收入分配不均却加重了贫困程度。对西北地区而言,减贫不仅要追求经济效应,更应关注社会公平。     

中国农村贫困的动态研究

 基于CHNS的八轮农村家庭收入调查数据,本文使用贫困发生率和平方缺口指数对农村贫困进行了实证分析,并把贫困变动分解为长期贫困效应、脱贫效应和返贫效应。实证结论表明,虽然长期贫困发生率呈现明显下降趋势,但是近期长期贫困的平方缺口指数表现出一定程度上升;脱贫效应是减少贫困的主要因素,返贫效应则是加剧贫困的诱因。此外,匿名性与非匿名性的增长率显示,匿名性低估了低收入阶层的实际收入增长率,从而高估了实际贫困。