Coral del Río

Local versus overall segregation measures

This paper proposes a theoretical framework in which to study the segregation of a target group in a multigroup context, which can be labeled as local segregation. In doing so, this paper first presents an axiomatic set-up within which local segregation measures can be evaluated and it defines local segregation curves. Next, a class of additive local segregation indexes that is related to the generalized entropy family and consistent with the above curves is characterized. Finally, this paper offers a bridge between local and overall segregation indexes by using population weights.

Measuring poverty accounting for time

In this paper we make a methodological proposal to measure poverty accounting for time by proposing a new index that aims at reconciling the way poverty is measured in a static and a dynamic framework. Our index is able to consider the duration of the poverty spell and the social preference for equality in well-being given that, in contrast with others that have been previously proposed, it is sensitive to the level of inequality between individual complete poverty experiences over time. Moreover, other indices in the literature can be interpreted as special cases of our more general measure. An empirical illustration shows the relevance of considering the distribution of poverty experiences among the population in an international analysis.

Intermediate inequality and welfare

Abstract. We introduce a new centrist or intermediate inequality concept, between the usual relative and absolute notions, which is shown to be a variant of the α-ray invariant inequality measures in Pfingsten and Seidl (1997). We say that distributions x and y have the same (x, π)-inequality if the total income difference between them is allocated among the individuals as follows: 100π% preserving income shares in x, and 100(1−π)% in equal absolute amounts. This notion can be made as operational as current standard methods in Shorrocks (1983).

Occupational segregation of immigrant women in Spain

Abstract This contribution analyzes occupational segregation during a period of high employment in the Spanish labor market by gender and immigrant status, using several local and overall segregation measures. Using data from Spains 2007 Economically Active Population Survey (Encuesta de Población Activa), the results suggest that immigrant women in Spain suffered a double burden from occupational segregation since it affected them to a greater degree than either native women or immigrant men. In fact, gender is a useful variable for understanding the labor market performance of immigrant workers for this period in Spain, although there were notable discrepancies in the segregation of immigrant women depending on their region of origin. Immigrant women from the European Union (EU) had the lowest occupational segregation, while such segregation appeared to be particularly intense among women from European countries outside the EU and women from Asia.

The Extent of Occupational Segregation in the United States: Differences by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender

This paper studies occupational segregation by ethnicity/race and gender by following a new approach that facilitates multigroup comparisons and econometric analyses to take into account group characteristics. The analysis shows that segregation is particularly intense in the Hispanic and Asian populations (the situation being more severe for the former given its higher concentration in low�?paid jobs). A distinctive characteristic of Hispanics is that segregation is higher for men than for women although females are more concentrated in low�?paid jobs. Segregation neither for women nor for African and Native Americans is reduced by taking human capital variables into account.

What helps households with children in leaving poverty? Evidence from Spain

Recent results on poverty in Europe show that households with children have a higher incidence of poverty than households without children. This incidence is not only higher but increasing. The literature on poverty has noted that the events that are most effective in pushing households out of deprivation should largely determine the design of poverty-alleviating social policy. Using longitudinal data for Spain for the 80’s and 90’s we account for the importance of relevant demographic and labour market events in helping households with and without children in leaving a poverty situation decomposing the relevance of each event in that generated by labour market policies and fertility or marriage institutions and welfare state policies implications. Similarly to results for other countries, the events that most help Spanish households in leaving poverty are related to the labour status and changes in employment of household members more than to demographic events. However, we should note that the transitions out of poverty of households with children are most strongly linked to the economic cycle in the economy mainly through labour market events while non-labour income changes appear as more important in determining a potential transition out of poverty of households without children, implying that their transitions are more linked to the social protection system.

The Evolution of Occupational Segregation in the United States, 1940–2010: Gains and Losses of Gender–Race/Ethnicity Groups

The aim of this article is twofold: (1) to descriptively explore the evolution of occupational segregation of women and men of different racial/ethnic groups in the United States during 1940–2010, and (2) to assess the consequences of segregation for each group. For that purpose, in this article, we propose a simple index that measures the monetary loss or gain of a group derived from its overrepresentation in some occupations and underrepresentation in others. This index has a clear economic interpretation. It represents the per capita advantage (if the index is positive) or disadvantage (if the index is negative) of the group, derived from its segregation, as a proportion of the average wage of the economy. Our index is a helpful tool not only for academics but also for institutions concerned with inequalities among demographic groups because it makes it possible to rank them according to their segregational nature.

Local Segregation and Well-Being

This paper deals with the quantification of the well-being loss/gain of a demographic group associated with its occupational segregation, an issue that, as far as we know, has not been formally tackled in the literature. For this purpose, this paper proposes several properties to take into account when measuring this phenomenon. Building on standard assumptions of social welfare functions, it also defines and characterizes a parameterized family of indices that satisfy those properties. In particular, the indices are equal to zero when either the group has no segregation or all occupations have the same wage, and the indices increase when individuals of the group move into occupations that have higher wages than those left behind. In addition, ceteris paribus, the indices increase more the lower the wage is of the occupation left behind, and consider small improvements for many people to be more important than large improvements for a few.

Unemployment and spell duration during the Great Recession in the EU

The current economic recession has had unequal consequences on employment depending on the country considered. It is generally accepted that the negative impact of unemployment on individual welfare can be very different depending on its duration. However, conventional statistics on unemployment do not adequately capture to what extent the recession is not only increasing the incidence of unemployment but also its severity in terms of duration in time of ongoing unemployment spells. In this paper, we follow Shorrocks’s (2009a,b) proposal of a duration-sensitive measure of unemployment in order to analyze the different dynamic characteristics of unemployment in a selected group of European Union countries during the current Great Recession. Our results add some evidence on the relevance of incorporating the duration dimension in measuring unemployment and provide a tool for dynamic analysis based on cross-sectional data.

Rankings of Income Distributions: A Note on Intermediate Inequality Indices

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of several intermediate inequality measures, paying special attention to whether inequality rankings between income distributions are affected by the monetary units in which incomes are expressed.