Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/283768 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Working Paper No. 2023/72
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
This paper employs k-means clustering, a multidimensional pattern recognition method, to categorize countries using information from five Varieties of Democracy indices. K-means country clusters are similar but not entirely identical to both k-medians clusters and arbitrary groups formed using only one measure, namely the liberal democracy index. Simple correlations with different inequality measures yield varying results. Despite having higher absolute inequality, country clusters with extremely high levels of democracy are characterized by lower relative inequality. They also have the lowest ratio of the income share of the richest 10 per cent to that of the poorest 40 per cent. K-means clusters with low- and medium-quality institutions generally do not differ much in terms of inequality outcomes.
Subjects: 
clustering
democracy
inequality
pattern recognition
JEL: 
P00
C10
D63
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-9267-380-2
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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