Interactions inequality-polarizationan impossibility result

  1. Prieto Rodríguez, Juan 14
  2. Rodríguez Hernández, Juan Gabriel 24
  3. Salas del Mármol, Rafael 34
  1. 1 Universidad de Oviedo
    info

    Universidad de Oviedo

    Oviedo, España

    ROR https://ror.org/006gksa02

  2. 2 Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
    info

    Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

    Madrid, España

    ROR https://ror.org/01v5cv687

  3. 3 Universidad Complutense de Madrid
    info

    Universidad Complutense de Madrid

    Madrid, España

    ROR 02p0gd045

  4. 4 Instituto de Estudios Fiscales
    info

    Instituto de Estudios Fiscales

    Madrid, España

Revista:
Documentos de trabajo ( Centro de Estudios Andaluces )

Año de publicación: 2004

Serie: 1

Número: 64

Tipo: Documento de Trabajo

Resumen

Recent literature stresses the multidimensional nature of income distribution. Two of the most relevant components are inequality and polarization. In this paper, we prove the impossibility of keeping simultaneously constant these two aspects whenever the distribution of incomes changes. Distributional change could originate from any economic policy or simply from economic growth. Hence, our result implies an effective restriction for policymakers that they cannot avoid and should not ignore. Our proof embodies a general view of polarization that includes the Wolfson and the Esteban and Ray approaches. The paper also develops other links for the case of controlling only one variable and deducing the implications for the other variable.