Are neighbors equal?: estimating local inequality in three developing countries

Elbers, Chris; Lanjouw, Peter; Mistiaen, Johan; Özler, Berk; Simler, Kenneth R. 2003. Are neighbors equal?: estimating local inequality in three developing countries. FCND discussion paper. 147. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155742

A methodology to produce disaggregated estimates of inequality is implemented in three developing countries: Ecuador, Madagascar, and Mozambique. These inequality estimates are decomposed into progressively more disaggregated spatial units and the results in all three countries are suggestive that even at a very high level of spatial disaggregation, the contribution of within-community inequality to overall inequality remains very high. The results also indicate there is a considerable amount of variation across communities in all three countries. The basic correlates of local-level inequality are explored, and it is consistently found that geographic characteristics are strongly correlated with inequality, even after controlling for demographic and economic conditions." -- Authors' Abstract