A new GLO Discussion Paper reviews methodologies and literature to capture and analyze top incomes.
GLO Discussion Paper No. 959, 2021
Inequality and top incomes – Download PDF
by Bartels, Charlotte & Waldenström, Daniel
GLO Fellow Charlotte Bartels
Author Abstract: This chapter comprises three main parts. The first part is about data sources, the definitions of income, and the methodologies used to estimate top income shares. Both the standard sources and methods used by the traditional top income studies are described. Further, new developments that employ new sources and estimation approaches are added, a detailed survey of the top-correction methods for surveys including reweighting and replacing top incomes is provided and approaches to align surveys, income tax data, and national accounts are contrasted. The second part of the chapter is a description of the main trends of top income shares that are the result of the previous studies. Different measures discussed in the methods section are presented and compared. The third part of the chapter surveys the literature on the determinants of top income shares. The focus of the third part is on studies that propose new methods to establish links between driving factors and top income shares.
Featured Image: christine-roy-on-unsplash
GLO Discussion Papers are research and policy papers of the GLO Network which are widely circulated to encourage discussion. Provided in cooperation with EconStor, a service of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, GLO Discussion Papers are among others listed in RePEc (see IDEAS, EconPapers). Complete list of all GLO DPs – downloadable for free.
The Global Labor Organization (GLO) is an independent, non-partisan and non-governmental organization that functions as an international network and virtual platform to stimulate global research, debate and collaboration.
Ends;