Income Distribution and Tax and Government Social Spending Policies in Developing Countries

By Ke-young Chu, Hamid R Davoodi, Sanjeev Gupta

March 1, 2000

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Ke-young Chu, Hamid R Davoodi, and Sanjeev Gupta. Income Distribution and Tax and Government Social Spending Policies in Developing Countries, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2000) accessed September 18, 2024

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

Summary

This paper reviews income distribution in developing (and transition) countries in recent decades. On average, before-tax income distribution in developing countries is less unequal than in industrial countries. However, unlike industrial countries, developing countries in general have not been able to use tax and transfer policies effectively to reduce income inequality. During the 1980s and 1990s, many developing countries experienced an increase in income inequality. The government health care and primary and secondary education programs in developing countries are not well targeted, but their incidence tends to be progressive.

Subject: Expenditure, Income and capital gains taxes, Income distribution, Income inequality, National accounts, Personal income, Taxes

Keywords: After-tax Gini, After-tax income, Country, Distributional implication, Gini coefficient, Gini equation, Government social spending, Income, Income and capital gains taxes, Income distribution, Income inequality, Personal income, Sub-Saharan Africa, Tax incidence, Transition country, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

47
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2000/062
Stock No:

WPIEA0622000
ISBN:

9781451848281
ISSN:

1018-5941

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