Logo UNICEF Innocenti
Office of Research-Innocenti
menu icon

Income Distribution, Economic Systems and Transition

Income Distribution, Economic Systems and Transition

Author(s)

John Flemming; John Micklewright

 

Publication date: 70

Publication series:
Innocenti Occasional Papers, Economic Policy Series

No. of pages: 100

Download the report

(PDF, 0.00 MB)

Abstract

The differences in income distribution between market and planned economies are considered in two ways. First, using benchmarks from the OECD area, evidence from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union during the socialist period is reviewed. Second, the authors consider the transitions currently being made by the latter countries. Three factors are then considered: (i) the distribution of earnings of full-time employees, (ii) the distribution of individuals’ per capita household incomes, and (iii) the ways in which non-wage benefits from work, price subsidies and social incomes in kind change the picture. For the socialist period long series of data, often covering several decades, are available and thus changes in distribution under the socialist system can be tracked and diversity between the countries shown. For the period of transition, the series of data are inevitably shorter, however, it is possible to avoid basing conclusions on evidence drawn from single years. During transition, as under socialism, the picture is varied. Russia has experienced very sharp increases in measured inequality to well above the top of the OECD range. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland have seen more modest rises. However, a satisfactory analytic framework encompassing enough features of the transition to help interpretation of the data is lacking.
Available in:
English

More in this series: Innocenti Occasional Papers, Economic Policy Series

Child Poverty across Industrialized Nations
Publication

Child Poverty across Industrialized Nations

Despite widespread concern about the living standards of children, the research of the last decade has confirmed that there remain wide variations in the extent of child poverty across countries at otherwise similar levels of development.
The Education of Children with Special Needs: Barriers and opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe
Publication

The Education of Children with Special Needs: Barriers and opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe

Children with disabilities and many others who experience difficulties in learning are often marginalized within or even excluded from school systems. This paper considers the situation in countries of Central and Eastern Europe, examining particular developments that have occurred in recent years.
Income Inequality and Mobility in Hungary 1992-96
Publication

Income Inequality and Mobility in Hungary 1992-96

The first half of the 1990s brought major changes to Hungary. The positive sides of the transformation in the Hungarian economy and society were accompanied by less welcome aspects - a sharp fall in GDP, double-digit unemployment and falling real incomes.
Targeting Social Assistance in a Transition Economy: the Mahallas in Uzbekistan
Publication

Targeting Social Assistance in a Transition Economy: the Mahallas in Uzbekistan

Falling output and living standards have pushed countries in transition from the socialist system to re-consider how best to target public resources on those in need. The paper investigates the workings of a new social assistance benefit in Uzbekistan, the largest of the former Soviet Central Asian republics, administered by community organizations, the Mahallas.