Christos Koutsampelas

The distribution of full income in Greece

Non-cash incomes from either private or public sources can have substantial effects on the distribution of economic welfare. However, standard approaches to inequality measurement either neglect them or take into account only selected non-monetary items. Using data for Greece in the mid 2000s we show that it is possible to incorporate a comprehensive list of non-monetary components into the analysis of income inequality. The results indicate that inequality declines sharply when we move from the distribution of disposable monetary income to the distribution of full income, that includes both cash and non-cash incomes. Both private and public non-cash incomes are far more equally distributed than monetary income, but the inequality-reducing effect of publicly provided in-kind services is stronger. The structure of inequality changes when non-cash incomes are included in the concept of resources, but the effects are not dramatic. Non-cash incomes appear to accrue more heavily to younger and older individuals, thus reducing differences across age groups.

Higher Education and Equality of Opportunity

Amartya Sen (1992), in the prologue of his well appreciated book “Inequality Reexamined,” sets forth the most fundamental question in the study of inequality: “equality of what?” Irrespectively of someone’s ideological predispositions, we can expect that most people will condemn inequality on the grounds of unfairness. Yet, trying to figure out the “proper” concept of inequality is far more elusive.