Nino Gasparini: Equality and Distribution
Leonardo Gasparini: "Argentina has experienced a failure distributional as few countries in the world"
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Is The Irs Direct Deposit On The 22
Clarin
08/08/1910
The extreme crisis, the fragile social support and the openings 70 and 90 made the country into a freefall in the ranking of equality in Latin America in the last 30 years, says this expert.
The extreme crisis, the fragile social support and the openings 70 and 90 made the country into a freefall in the ranking of equality in Latin America in the last 30 years, says this expert.
By SEBASTIAN BELL
When referring to volatile variables like stock prices or exchange rates, economists often appeal to Figure-l ugar common roller coaster. The income distribution numbers evoke, by limited changes over time, most boring activity: analyze the series of inequality, say the academics in this field, is to "watch the grass grow." In fact, Latin America, standings in inequality remains unchanged for decades. With one exception: Argentina.
"Our country has experienced a failure distributive like few places in the world," says economist Leonardo Gasparini, professor at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) and one of the foremost authorities on American academic America on inequality and poverty. "While Argentina was never a Scandinavian country on social issues, some of its social statistics were closer to European to Latin America," said Gasparini. "Today we become more like America America ", he explains," partly because in the last three decades Latin American distributional statistics have not changed much, and partly because Argentina have deteriorated. "
In numbers: the proportion of income gap between the 10% richest and the poorest 10% was about 16 in the sixties, 18 in the seventies, 22 in the eighties, mid 25 nineties, rose to over 40 in 2002 and now returned to the value of 25.
"In short, we're like 25 years ago," says Gasparini, who lives in Gonnet with his family, is over six feet and is extremely shy. Fitness fanatic this supporter managed to install on the UNLP the Center for Distributional, Labor and Social, which employs 30 economists and advanced students of the race. The CEDLAS became a regional reference in studies of inequality: the World Bank asked to monitor the distribution statistics for all of Latin America.
Gasparini had a childhood that any guy would envy: was spent hunting dinosaurs. His mother, a paleontologist specializing in plesiosaurs, it took her son to the explorations by Patagonia. Inclusive says proudly, there is a "gasparinisaurus."
"Inequality in Latin America comes from Jurassic times?
No, it's actually a much more recent phenomenon than many realize. Studies show that pre-Columbian American societies were more egalitarian than European at the same time. Serious distributional problems begin with the colony and are explained by the presence of two factors: concentration of a natural resource and a lot of people to be exploited in its removal. Soon formed societies polarized between rich European elites and masses of low-income workers, Indians and slaves. Interestingly, in the English colonies in North America and the English of the RÃo de la Plata and Costa Rica, which lacked mineral wealth and agricultural extraction and large population, more egalitarian societies were formed.
How is Argentina today in the distribution of income in relation to the rest of the region?
to 20 or 30 years ago, Argentina was in Uruguay, by far the most egalitarian country in Latin America. Since then the country that fell into this aspect. Is still among the five best distribution, but much closer to the average (which houses nations like Chile) and from Brazil, a country traditionally very uneven, but has improved dramatically in recent years.
"Latin America is the continent most unequal in the world?
always said that. Probably Asian and sub-Saharan Africa are uneven, but it is difficult to prove because the statistics are poor. But Latin America is clearly in the group of regions of high inequality.
Why in Argentina deteriorated further distribution?
There were several "earthquakes" in this matter. The first and most important were the macroeconomic crisis, high inflation, such as "hyper" in the late 80's and early 90's, or the fall of 2001-2002. These processes equal tragically destroyed. Another reason important are some market reforms and trade liberalization implemented primarily in the late 70's and 90's special, which involved a very sudden modernization of the economy, which sharply reduced demand for unskilled labor with effects on unemployment, poverty and inequality. And all within a very fragile social containment. Finally, a number of vicious circles. One of them is both school and neighborhood segregation. The rise of private schools and districts has further divided society: the divide-and particularly the middle-class flight to private schools-is a source of future inequality. The consolidation of groups trapped in situations of "poverty life ", with few incentives and expectations of progress, is another problem that feeds the inequality.
What happened to the distribution after the crisis of 2001-2002?
inequality had reached a high plateau in the late nineties, but the crisis surged to record levels in 2002, reaching a peak. When the economy stabilized and began to grow, inequality was reduced significantly, but not very different from that experienced by any economy stabilizes after a crisis macroeconomic deep. In fact, the fall in inequality between 2003 and 2006 is very similar to the drop between 1990 and 1993 after hyper. Since 2006 there is an additional reduction genuine and structural factors, but is slow. Moreover, the distributional gains are constantly threatened by the erosion of inflation, a factor inequality. The great commitment to reduce inequality significantly and is the Universal Child.
How did the intervention of the INDEC statistics on income distribution?
We had a kind of "blackout" in early 2007, when they were left to spread the numbers on the Permanent Household Survey (EPH), which are our basic input. Earlier this year, under pressure from organizations such as CELS and universities, the Government again to publish these statistics. Of course there were many doubts about the possible adulteration. So far, we have analyzed the record, with suspicion a priori. And the feeling is that we still have not been touched.
What is the scope of public policies is to improve the situation?
Most contemporary governments in Latin America took up the banner of improved income distribution, and this awareness is very good. For now, it's a trend that is more present in the discourse and less on the reality of the measures, but it is still a step forward. Brazil is taken by many as an example: Working with the stock market and other social initiatives achieved a significant mobility of the lower class to lower middle class and this middle class. In Argentina, the Heads of Plan 2002 was a turning point, although it is true that we had to reach a breaking point for move the political class.
Robert Reich, former U.S. secretary of labor. States, recently said the crisis in his country was not caused by the housing bubble, but by the growth of inequality.
In every society there is dispute between the permanent. If these bids are channeled into the market mechanisms or existing institutions fail to have consequences. If these bids are not channeled and overflow, triggered crisis. In Argentina, the great collapse of the late 80's or the great crisis of 2001/02 can be seen as bursts of a distributive struggle that failed prosecuted and ended in the first case in hyperinflation and the second in a megadevaluación.
Do more equal societies are happier?
Yes, definitely. The new economics of happiness suggests that people are happier living in more egalitarian societies. This means that fewer resources would accept to live with themselves, but in a society perceived as more fair.
Are the issues of inequality are well taught in the curriculum university?
are underrepresented in relation to the importance they are assuming in recent years. Textbooks for undergraduate courses in their definition of poverty, but are farther away. Along with Martin Cicowiez and Walter Sosa finished a textbook on this topic six months ago, but still did not get a publisher interested in publishing it. It is an arduous process.
is like watching grass grow.
Yes (laughs). Hopefully at some point become a rollercoaster.
Copyright Clarin, 2010.
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