Inflation and Income Inequality: Is Food Inflation Different?
IMF Working Papers, June 1, 2012
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Bibliographic details
- Authors: James P Walsh, Jiangyan Yu
- Published: June 1, 2012
- Series: IMF Working Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781475504163.001
Summary and main findings
- The paper divides inflation into food inflation and nonfood inflation and assesses whether food inflation affects income inequality differently from nonfood inflation.
- In an international sample and a sample of Chinese provinces:
- Nonfood inflation exacerbates income inequality.
- The role of food inflation is more mixed.
- In a sample of Indian states broken down into urban and rural areas:
- Nonfood inflation adds to income inequality in both urban and rural areas.
- Food inflation has a neutral to positive effect on income inequality in rural areas, providing support for the theory that rural wages may respond elastically to food prices.
Data, samples, and scope
- Samples analyzed include:
- An international sample.
- A sample of Chinese provinces.
- A sample of Indian states disaggregated into urban and rural areas.
- Subjects listed: Food prices, Income distribution, Income inequality, Inflation, National accounts, Personal income, Prices.
- Keywords listed: China, commodity prices, core inflation, food inflation, food prices, Global, headline inflation, income, income distribution, income inequality, incomes of the poor, India, inequality data, inflation, nonfood inflation, per capita income, Personal income, WP.
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- Listed formats and actions on the landing page: Download PDF, More Formats on IMF eLibrary, Order a Print Copy, Create Citation, Share, Preview Citation, Copy.
- Citation example (Chicago): James P Walsh, and Jiangyan Yu. "Inflation and Income Inequality: Is Food Inflation Different?", IMF Working Papers 2012, 147 (2012), accessed 9/17/2026, https://doi.org/10.5089/9781475504163.001
Author and publication note
- Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF. The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate.
Source: IMF Working Paper — "Inflation and Income Inequality: Is Food Inflation Different?" by James P Walsh and Jiangyan Yu, June 1, 2012.