Session 4A: Poverty and Inequality (Auditorium 1)
Moderator: Albert Park
A tale of two transitions: Intergenerational mobility dynamics in PRC and Russia
Kristina Butaeva (HKUST), Lian Chen (UCLA), Steven Durlauf (Chicago), and Albert Park
Conventional measures of intergenerational mobility fail to distinguish between structural mobility caused by changes in the distribution of education or occupations and exchange mobility which captures circulation between positions in the educational or occupational structure net of changes in that structure. In this study, we analyze longitudinal datasets from China and Russia to quantify the extent of structural and exchange mobility in these two rapidly changing societies. We find that China has greater intergenerational mobility than Russia, but it’s mobility is nearly all structural, with very low levels of exchange mobility. In contrast, Russia has greater exchange mobility but less structural mobility. For purposes of comparison, we also analyze data from the US, where we find structural mobility is very low but exchange mobility is higher than in China and Russia.
JEL Code/s:
Long-term consequences of economic and social poverty in Indonesia
Albert Park, Jiaying Chen, Rhea Molato-Gayares
Do economic and social deprivations experienced in childhood have lasting impacts on welfare outcomes in adulthood? Using a longitudinal study of over 6,000 children across Indonesia, we investigate the relationship between childhood multi-dimensional poverty index and multiple outcomes measured more than 20 years later. To be specific, we measure childhood deprivation in six domains, which are family economic domain, family social domain, school economic domain, school social domain, village economic domain, and village social domain. Adult outcomes include education, employment and income, health, economic preferences, personality, and so on.
JEL Code/s: I31, I32, D10, Z13
Inequality of opportunity in Thailand and Viet Nam
Gaurav Datt (Monash University), Ravisha Wellappuli (Monash University) and Arturo Jr M. Martinez
Despite a body of empirical work on inequality of opportunity for a growing number of countries around the world, the coverage of the Asia-Pacific region remains limited. This paper contributes to filling the gap by utilizing a rich panel data set for Thailand and Viet Nam spanning the period 2007 to 2019. The paper uses alternative approaches to estimating inequality of opportunity, constructs estimates at different points in time and for different sociodemographic groups, and explores proximate drivers of observed variations in inequality of opportunity across groups or over time.
JEL Code/s: D31
Regional inequality study of Kazakhstan
Genadiy Rau and Andrés Rodríguez-Pose (LSE)
In the 2000s Kazakhstan experienced a period of rapid economic growth fueled by commodities extraction and banking sector expansion. The 2021 ADB study on regional inequality identified a growing polarization among country’s regions by looking at economic growth, employment and productivity. These territorial differences are at the root discontent manifested in January 2022 protests, as people voiced dissatisfaction with an economic and social system that has concentrated wealth and opportunities in a limited number of places. The survey launched in August 2022 of residents across the country assesses their wellbeing, quality-of-life and access to services. The study results will be used to formulate tailored and place-sensitive development strategies promoting inclusive and resilient economic growth.
JEL Code/s: R58