Full Citation

Title: Your money or your life?

Citation Type: Working Paper

Publication Year: 2003

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI:

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: I develop a set of long-term estimates of inequality using length of life as a measure of welfare. Although income inequality has recently increased, lifetime welfare is probably more equally distributed now than in the past. I measure the inequality of lifetimes in the United States and Europe over the past century and a half, and present similar measurements for several populations back to 20,000 BC. Lifetimes have become substantially more equally distributed. The Gini coefficient of lifetimes declined from 0.355 for the 1900 U.S. birth cohort to 0.113 for the 2000 cohort; similar improvements are observed in other developed countries. Inequality levels for preindustrial populations were much higher; for a Maghreb population of roughly 20,000 BC, the lifetime Gini coefficient was 0.593. Unlike income data, lifetimes data suggest that men are disadvantaged relative to women. Men face, and have faced, greater lifetime inequality than women, while having shorter expected lifetimes.

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Murphy, Russell D.

Series Title:

Publication Number: E2003-2

Institution: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Pages:

Publisher Location: Blacksburg, VA

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Aging and Retirement, Poverty and Welfare

Countries: United States