Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/51779 
Year of Publication: 
2010
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 5383
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Harmonised microdata show a Gini coefficient for per capita total income of 45.3 percent in China 2002 and 33.6 percent in Russia 2003. A much larger urban to rural income gap in combination with a much smaller proportion of people living in urban areas in China are important reasons for this cross-country difference in inequality. Wage is a more non-equalising income source in China than in Russia. While Russian public transfers reduce income inequality, Chinese public transfers increase income inequality. Cross-country differences in the process of transition are also found to be significant. A relatively large non-agriculture self-employment sector is non-equalising in rural China, but is also narrowing the urban to rural income gap. In contrast to the many cross-country differences revealed, we report income inequality among urban residents in China and in urban Russia to be very similar.
Subjects: 
income distribution
inequality
China
Russia
public transfers
JEL: 
D31
P25
P52
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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