Sociology and Space, No. 99-100, 1988.
Original scientific paper
Measuring Income Inequality in the Yugoslav Village from 1963 to 1983
Ivo Bičanić
Abstract
The paper attempts to measure
income inequality and offer
a tentative explanation for the
relative levels of inequality and
changes during the period.
Measurements permit the
subdivision in to two sub-periods,
the first from 1963 to 1978 and the
second for the year 1983. The first
subperiod has a regular structure
and the changes can be explained.
Inequality levels in the village are
significantly smaller than in the
towns and show very small
changes. Lower inequality levels
can be seen in mixed and
agricultural households while those
in nonagricultural households are
much higher (as are the over-all
levels). These relative lovels can be
explained by the characteristics of
the distributions. Over time there
was first a rise in inequality levels
(due to the 1965 Reform) and then
the levels fell (due to stabilization
policy, abandoning the Reform and
a new economic system (and
during the last five years)
inequality levels were stable. The
last year, i.e. 1983 is exceptional
both regarding the significantly
higher levels for all households and
a different structure in which
agricultural households have
highest inequality levels. This,
however, does not allow a
straighforward conclusions that
the crises of the eighties led to
higher levels. Both the nature of
the data and other explanations
point in another direction.
The above conclusions are derived
from the use of Gini coeficients
a measure chosen because the
paper has been adapted for the
non-economist reader. Ginies have
been measured for the five years
for which household surveys exist
(j.e. for 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978 and
1983). The quality of the data
is satisfactory even though some
village incomes have been, by
virtue of the surveys techniques,
placed into the unoficial economy.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
121725
URI
Publication date:
12.1.1988.
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