Institutional bases of household income dispersion in Poland and in France. A retrospective analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15584/nsawg.2020.3.6Keywords:
income dispersion, income inequality, minimum wageAbstract
Household income dispersion in Poland is growing systematically. Since the late 1970s, the Gini index has increased from 0.252 (1975) to 0.313 (2016). At the same time in France, the ratio has dropped from 0.34 (late 1970s) to 0.293 (2016). A higher income dispersion is also observed among various occupations and across genders. The ratio of minimum to average wages has increased from 33.7% (1975) to 45.45% (2019). The research period covers the period of the centrally planned economy in Poland, when income leveling was an effect of government policy, and that of the market economy, which caused significant income disparities. The research problem is the growing household income dispersion in Poland. The aim of the study was to determine the institutional sources of increasing income dispersion. The study involved a comparative analysis of income dispersion in the years 1975–2017 in the context of institutional changes taking place in these countries, especially after 1990. The author applied a hypothetico-deductive method. Having analysed income dispersion, the author made a hypothesis regarding the influence of institutional changes on this phenomenon and presented the groups of institutional factors. The conducted research indicated inequalities in Poland grew mainly as a result of high dynamics in the income of the highest earners (top 10% and 1%). The social policy of the Polish government may have had little impact on this factor. Moreover, the distributional effects of taxes and transfers were slightly weaker in Poland than in France. An increase in the scale of acceptance of the inequality level in Poland over the past few years is noteworthy. In France, the public opposition to inequality is growing, even though income inequality is lower than in many European countries.
References
Alderson, A., Nielsen, F. (2002). Globalization and the Great U-Turn: Income Inequality Trends in 16 OECD Countries. American Journal of Sociology, 107(5), 1244–1299. DOI: 10.1086/341329.
Alvaredo, F., Chancel, L., Piketty, T., Saez, E., Zucman, G. (2017). Global Inequality Dynamics: New Findings From WID.WORLD. Working Paper 23119. American Economic Review: Papers & Proceedings, 107(5), 404–409. DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20171095.
Antunez, K., Papuchon, A. (2019). Les Français plus sensibles aux inégalités de revenus et plus attachés au maintien des prestations sociales. Les Dossiers De La Drees, 35. Retrieved from: https://drees. solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/dd35.pdf (2019.09.30).
Baymul, C., Sen, K. (2019). Kuznets Revisited: What Do We Know about the Relationship between Structural Transformation and Inequality? Asian Development Review, 36(1), 136–167. DOI: 10.1162/adev_a_00126.
Bergson, A. (1984). Income Inequality Under Soviet Socialism. Journal of Economic Literature, 22(3), 1052–1099.
Blanchet, T., Chancel, L., Gethin, A. (2019). How Unequal Is Europe? Evidence from Distributional National Accounts, 1980–2017. WID. World Working Paper, 6. Retrieved from: https://wid.world/document/bcg2019-full-paper (2019.10.11).
Blanco, G., Ram, R. (2019). Level of Development and Income Inequality in the United States: Kuznets Hypothesis Revisited Once Again. Economic Modelling, 80, 400– 406. DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2018.11.024.
Brzeziński, M. (2017a). Czy Polska jest krajem dużych nierówności ekonomicznych? IBS Policy Paper, 1, 1–12. Retrieved from: http://ibs. org.pl/app/uploads/2017/06/IBS_Policy_Paper_01_2017_pl.pdf (2019.09.30).
Brzeziński, M. (2017b). Nierówności dochodowe i majątkowe w Europie – fakty, przyczyny, konsekwencje. Retrieved from: http://coin.wne.uw.edu.pl/mbrzezinski/research/artykuł_nierownosci_PAN (2019.09.20).
Brzeziński, M., Jancewicz, B., Letki, N. (2013). GINI Country Report: Growing Inequalities and their Impacts in Poland. GINI Country Reports Poland. AIAS, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.2385176.
Bukowski, P., Novokmet, F. (2019). Between Communism and Capitalism: Long-Term Inequality in Poland, 1892–2015. WID. World Working Paper, 8. Retrieved from: https://wid.world/document/between-communism-and-capitalism-long-term-inequality-in-poland-1892-2015/ (2019.09.30).
Carré, J. J., Dubois, P., Malinvaud, E. (1978). Rozwój gospodarki francuskiej. Warszawa: PWN.
Clark, R. (2011). World Income Inequality in the Global Era: New Estimates, 1990–2008. Social Problems, 58(4), 565–592. DOI: 10.1525/sp.2011.58.4.565.
Country Report France 2019. Including an In-Depth Review on the prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances. (2019). Commission Staff Working Document. Retrieved from: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/file_import/2019-european-semester-country-report-france_en.pdf (2019.09.20).
Country Report Poland 2019. Including an In-Depth Review on the prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances. (2019). Commission Staff Working Document. retrieved from: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/file_import/2019-european-semester-country-report-poland_en.pdf (2019.10.11).
Eurostat Database; http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu.
Forbes, K. (2000). A Reassessment of the Relationship between Inequality and Growth, American Economic Review, 90(4), 869–887. DOI: 10.1257/aer.90.4.869.
France Personal Income Tax Rate. Trading Economics. Retrieved from: https://tradingeconomics. com/france/personal-income-tax-rate (2020.02.01).
Francja wprowadza „podatek do milionerów”. (2013). Rzeczpospolita. 30.12.2013. Retrieved from: https://www.rp.pl/artykul/1075671-Francja-wprowadza-podatek-do-milionerow-.html (2020.02.01).
Frémeaux, N., Piketty, T. (2013). GINI Country Report: Growing Inequalities and their Impacts in France. GINI Country Reports France. AIAS, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies. Retrieved from: http://archive.uva-aias. net/uploaded_files/publications/France.pdf (2019.09.20).
Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development 2019. Time to Face the Challenge. (2018). Paris: OECD Publishing. DOI: 10.1787/9789264307995-en.
Grosfeld, I., Senik, C. (2010). The Emerging Aversion to Inequality: Evidence from Subjective Data. Economics of Transition, 18(1), 1–26. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0351.2009.00376.x.
Gruszewska, E. (2012). Transformacja instytucji nieformalnych w Polsce. Gospodarka Narodowa, 3(247), 61–83.
Gwiazdowski, R. (2016). Równość i (nie)sprawiedliwość. Dlaczego Piketty nie lubi bogatych? Warszawa: Fijor Publishing.
Hayek, von, F. A. (2012 [1960]). Konstytucja wolności. In: L. Balcerowicz (Ed.), Odkrywając wolność. Przeciw zniewoleniu umysłów (pp. 227–270). Poznań: Zysk i S-ka, FOR.
In It Together Why Less Inequality Benefits All. (2015). Paris: OECD Publishing.
Jolly, R. (2006). Inequality in Historical Perspective. UNU-WIDER. Research Paper, 32. UN University, WIDER. Retrieved from: https://www.rrojasdatabank.info/rp2006-32.pdf (2019.09.16).
Keeley, B. (2015). Income inequality: The Gap between Rich and Poor. OECD Insight. Paris: OECD Publishing. DOI: 10.1787/9789264246010-en.
Kumor, P. (2009). Współzależność nierówności płac ze wzrostem gospodarczym w Polsce. Wiadomości Statystyczne, 7, 10–28.
Kuznets, S. (1955). Economic Growth and Income Inequality. The American Economic Review, XLV (1), 1–28.
Li, H., Zou, H-F. (1998). Income Inequality is Not Harmful for Growth: Theory and Evidence. Review of Development Economics, 2(3), 318–334. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9361.00045.
Malisz, E. (1992). Analiza porównawcza struktury dochodów ludności Polski i Francji w latach 1975–1990. Maszynopis. Białystok: WE FUW.
Nagaj, R. (2013). Rola państwa w niwelowaniu nierówności dochodowych. Studia Ekonomiczne,139, 248–259.
OECD Database. Retrieved from: https://stats. oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MIN2AVE (2019.09.30).
Piketty, T. (2003). Income Inequality in France, 1901–1998. Journal of Political Economy, 111(5), 1004–1042. DOI: 10.1086/376955.
Piketty, T. (2014). Kapitał w XXI wieku. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Krytyki Politycznej. Que pensent les Français des inégalités? Retrieved from: https://www.inegalites.fr/Quepensent-les-Francais-des-inegalites (2019.09.22).
Ravallion, M. (2018). Inequality and globalization: A review essay. Journal of Economic Literature, 56(2), 620–642. DOI: 10.1257/jel.20171419.
Revenue Statistics 2019. (2019). Paris: OECD Publishing. DOI: 10.1787/0bbc27da-en.
„Rodzina 500+” – ocena programu i propozycje zmian. (2019). Retrieved from: https://for.org.pl/pl/d/8aac2498710dbf7b1626846048c1ca70 (2020.02.01).
Royuela, V., Veneri, P., Ramos, R. (2014). Income Inequality, Urban Size and Economic Growth in OECD Regions. OECD Regional Development Working Papers, 10, 2–34. DOI: 10.1787/5jxrcmg88l8r-en.
Rubin, A., Segal, D. (2015). The effects of economic growth on income inequality in the US. Journal of Macroeconomics, 45, 258–273. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmacro.2015.05.007.
Sowa, B. (2019). Systemy gospodarcze i ich rozwój a nierówności dochodowe w wybranych państwach postsocjalistycznych. Warszawa: CeDeWu.
Stosunek Polaków do nierówności społecznych. (2017). CBOS. Komunikat z badań nr 85. Retrieved from: https://cbos. pl/spiskom.pol/2017/k_085_17.pdf (2019.09.10).
Therborn, G. (2015). Nierówność, która zabija. Jak globalny wzrost nierówności niszczy życie milionów i jak z tym walczyć. Warszawa: PWN.
Trannoy, A. (2017). Inequality and Welfare: Is Europe Special? In: L. Matyas, R. R. Blundell, E. Cantillon, B. Chizzolini, M. Ivaldi, W. Leininger, R. Marimon, F. Steen (Eds.), Economics without Borders. Economic Research for European Policy Challenges. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: 10.1017/9781316636404.
Tusińska, M. (2017). Nierówności dochodowe i ubóstwo w Polsce na tle zmian systemowych. Optimum. Studia Ekonomiczne, 6(90), 124–133. DOI: 10.15290/ose.2017.06.90.10.
WIID – the World Income Inequality Database. Retrieved from: https://www4.wider.unu.edu (2019.09.15).
WID – World Inequality Database. Retrieved from: https://wid.world/data/ (2019.09.30).
Wójcik, P. (2018). Francja 2018: Wolność bez równości i braterstwa. Prawdziwe przyczyny i skutki buntu „żółtych kamizelek” (18.12.2018). Retrieved from: https://www.reo.pl/wolnosc-bez-rownosci-i-braterstwa-prawdziwe-przyczyny-i-skutki-buntu-zoltych-kamizelek/ (2020.02.01).
Zachorowska-Mazurkiewicz, A. (2011). Istota nierówności w procesie rozwoju – podejście instytucjonalne. In: A. Zachorowska-Mazurkiewicz, E. Okoń-Horodyńska (Eds.), Współczesne wymiary nierówności w procesie globalizacji (pp. 11–30). Kraków: Wydawnictwo UJ.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 University of Rzeszow
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.