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Between communism and capitalism: long-term inequality in Poland, 1892-2015
[journal article]
Abstract We construct the first consistent series on the long-term distribution of income in Poland by combining tax, household survey and national accounts data. We document a U-shaped evolution of inequalities from the end of the nineteenth century until today: (1) inequality was high before WWII; (2) abru... view more
We construct the first consistent series on the long-term distribution of income in Poland by combining tax, household survey and national accounts data. We document a U-shaped evolution of inequalities from the end of the nineteenth century until today: (1) inequality was high before WWII; (2) abruptly fell after the introduction of communism in 1947 and stagnated at low levels during the whole communist period; (3) experienced a sharp rise with the return to capitalism in 1989. We find that official survey-based measures strongly under-estimate the rise in inequality since 1989. Our results highlight the prominent role of capital income in driving the U-shaped evolution of top income shares. The unique inequality history of Poland speaks to the central role of institutions and policies in shaping inequality in the long run.... view less
Keywords
transformation; post-socialist country; capitalism; difference in income; Poland; communism; social inequality; inequality
Classification
General Sociology, Basic Research, General Concepts and History of Sociology, Sociological Theories
Free Keywords
Income inequality; European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC)
Document language
English
Publication Year
2021
Page/Pages
p. 187-239
Journal
Journal of Economic Growth, 26 (2021) 2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10887-021-09190-1
ISSN
1573-7020
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed