REGULAR ARTICLE
Consumption dynamics and inequality of opportunity with an application to Uganda
Paolo Brunori,
Flaviana Palmisano, Vito Peragine,
Corresponding Author
Paolo Brunori
University of Florence, Florence, Italy
University of Bari, Bari, Italy
Correspondence
Paulo Brunori, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa, University of Florence, Via delle Pandette 32, 50127, Firenze, Italy.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorPaolo Brunori,
Flaviana Palmisano, Vito Peragine,
Corresponding Author
Paolo Brunori
University of Florence, Florence, Italy
University of Bari, Bari, Italy
Correspondence
Paulo Brunori, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa, University of Florence, Via delle Pandette 32, 50127, Firenze, Italy.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
This paper proposes the adoption of an opportunity egalitarian perspective to assess and compare growth processes and their distributional implications. To this aim, a set of graphical tools are introduced that allow one to evaluate the role of growth and recessions in the evolution of individuals’ opportunities over time. These tools satisfy the ex post principle of equality of opportunity and represent an extension of the “opportunity growth incidence curve,” a framework proposed by the literature to evaluate growth according to the ex ante principle of equality of opportunity. This measurement framework is applied to evaluate the economic dynamic between 2009 and 2011 in Uganda. The results show that despite a reduction in the real value of household consumption and a surge in outcome inequality, its effects appear to be less dramatic when the ex post equality of opportunity perspective is invoked.
REFERENCES
- Asiimwe, A., Agaba, V., & Nampewo, Z. (2012). Ethnicity and human rights in Uganda: A desk study of human rights issues faced by ethnic minorities and indigenous groups. Retrieved from http://aviddevelopment.ug
- Baker, W. (2011). The marginalization of minorities, Uganda. London: Minority Rights Group International.
- Baland, J. M., Gaspart, F., Platteau, J. P., & Place, F. (2007). The distributive impact of land markets in Uganda. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 55(2), 283–311.
- Benin, S., Thurlow, J., Diao, X., Kebba, A., & Ofwono, N. (2008). Agricultural growth and investment options for poverty reduction in Uganda. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.
- Brunori, P., Ferreira, F. H., & Peragine, V. (2013). Inequality of opportunity, income inequality, and economic mobility: Some international comparisons. In E. Paus (Ed.), Getting development right: Structural transformation, inclusion, and sustainability in the post-crisis era (pp. 85–115). New York: Palgrave Macmillan US.
10.1057/9781137333117_5 Google Scholar
- Brunori, P., Palmisano, F., & Peragine, V. (2016). Inequality of opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa (World Bank Policy Research Working Papers No. WPS 7782/2016). Washington DC: World Bank.
- Byrnes, R. (1992). Uganda. A country study ( 2nd ed.). Washington DC: Federal Research Division.
- Checchi, D., & Peragine, V. (2010). Inequality of opportunity in Italy. Journal of Economic Inequality, 8(4), 429–450.
- Cogneau, D., & Mesplé-Somps, S. (2008). Inequality of opportunity for income in five countries of Africa. In J. Bishop & B. Zheng (Eds.), Research on Economic Inequality, (Vol. 16, pp. 99–128). Bradford, UK: Emerald Group.
- Davison, A. C., & Hinkley, D. V. (1997). Bootstrap methods and their application. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
10.1017/CBO9780511802843 Google Scholar
- Ellis, F., & Freeman, H. A. (2004). Rural livelihoods and poverty reduction strategies in four African countries. The Journal of Development Studies, 40(4), 1–30.
- Ferreira, F. H. G., & Gignoux, J. (2011). The measurement of inequality of opportunity: Theory and an application to Latin America. Review of Income and Wealth, 57(4), 622–657.
- Ferreira, F. H. G., & Peragine, V. (2016). Individual responsibility and equality of opportunity. In M. D. Adler & M. Fleurbaey (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Well-Being and Public Policy (ch. 25). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
- Fleurbaey, M. (2008). Fairness, responsibility and welfare, Oxford University Press.
10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199215911.001.0001 Google Scholar
- Fleurbaey, M., & Peragine, V. (2013). Ex ante versus ex post equality of opportunity. Economica, 8(317), 118–130.
- Fleurbaey, M., Peragine, V., & Ramos, X. (In press). Ex post inequality of opportunity comparisons. Social Choice and Welfare.
- Foster, J. E., & Shneyerov, A. A. (2000). Path independent inequality measures. Journal of Economic Theory, 91(2), 199–222.
- Luongo, P. (2011). The implication of partial observability of circumstances on the measurement of IOp. Research on Economic Inequality, 19(2), 23–49.
- Matovu, J. M., Twimukye, E., Musisi, A., & Levine, S. (2011). Assessing development strategies to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in Uganda, Project Final Report. New York: UNDP-RBA, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA); and Washington DC: World Bank.
- Montalvo, J. G., & Reynal-Querol, M. (2005). Ethnic diversity and economic development. Journal of Development Economics, 76(2), 293–323.
- Mukwaya, P., Bamutaze, Y., Mugarura, S., & Benson, T. (2012). Rural–urban transformation in Uganda (Uganda Strategy Support Program Working Paper). Washington DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. Retrieved from http://www.ifpri.org
- Ooghe, E., Schokkaert, E., & Van de Gaer, D. (2007). Equality of opportunity versus equality of opportunity sets. Social Choice and Welfare, 28(2), 209–230.
- Peragine, V., Palmisano, F., & Brunori, P. (2014). Economic growth and equality of opportunity. World Bank Economic Review, 28(2), 247–281.
10.1093/wber/lht030 Google Scholar
- Ramos, X., & Van de Gaer, D. (2015). Approaches to inequality of opportunity: Principles, measures and evidences. Journal of Economic Surveys, 30(5), 855–883.
- Ravallion, M., & Chen, S. (2003). Measuring pro-poor growth. Economics Letters, 78(1), 93–99.
- Roemer, J. E. (1998). Equality of opportunity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
10.4159/9780674042872 Google Scholar
- Roemer, J. E. (2013). Economic development as opportunity equalization. The World Bank Economic Review, 28(2), 189–209.
10.1093/wber/lht023 Google Scholar
- Roemer, J. E., & Trannoy, A. (2016). Equality of opportunity: Theory and measurement. Journal of Economic Literature, 54(4), 1288–1332.
- Rohner, D., Thoenig, M., & Zilibotti, F. (2013). Seeds of distrust: Conflict in Uganda. Journal of Economic Growth, 18(3), 217–252.
- Sahn, D. E., & Stifel, D. C. (2003). Urban–rural inequality in living standards in Africa. Journal of African Economies, 12(4), 564–597.
- Ssewanyana, N. S., Okidi, A. J., Angemi, D., & Barungi, V. (2004). Understanding the determinants of income inequality in Uganda (CSAE Working Paper No. WPS/2004-29). Oxford UK: University of Oxford.
- The Republic of Uganda (2013). Millennium development goals report for Uganda 2013. Kampala, Uganda: Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. Retrieved from http://www.ug.undp.org
- Uganda Bureau of Statistics (2013). Uganda national panel survey 2010–2011 (Wave 2 Report). Kampala, Uganda: Author. Retrieved from http://www.ubos.org
- UNDP (2014). Human development report 2014. Sustaining human progress: Reducing vulnerabilities and building resilience. New York: United Nations Development Program.
10.18356/34bf7a52-en Google Scholar
- World Bank (2006). World Development Report 2006: Equity and development. Washington DC: Author.
10.30875/5b142cc2-en Google Scholar
- World Bank (2012). Poverty trends in Uganda: Who gained and who was left behind? (Working Paper, Inclusive Growth Policy Note No. 1, DECRG, Agriculture & Rural Development). Washington DC: Author.
