Growth is Good for the Poor

When average income rises, the average incomes of the poorest fifth of society rise proportionately. This is a consequence of the strong empirical regularity that the share of income accruing to the bottom quintile does not vary systematically with...

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Main Authors: Dollar, David, Kraay, Aart
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:
GDP
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/04/1089579/growth-good-poor
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19679
id okr-10986-19679
recordtype oai_dc
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY
AGRICULTURE
ANNUAL CHANGE
ANNUAL GROWTH
ANNUAL OBSERVATIONS
AVERAGE ANNUAL
AVERAGE INCOME
AVERAGE INCOMES
BENCHMARK
CAPITAL CONTROLS
CONDITIONAL CONVERGENCE
CONSUMPTION
COUNTRY EFFECTS
COUNTRY-SPECIFIC EFFECTS
CRISES
CROSS-COUNTRY DIFFERENCES
DATA AVAILABILITY
DEMOCRACY
DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH
DIFFERENCES IN INCOME
DISTRIBUTION EFFECT
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION
DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECT
DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECTS
DYNAMIC PANEL
ECONOMETRIC PROBLEMS
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC INTEGRATION
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
ELASTICITY
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
EMPIRICAL GROWTH LITERATURE
EMPIRICAL LITERATURE
EMPIRICAL REGULARITY
ERROR TERM
ERROR TERMS
EXCHANGE RATE
EXCHANGE RATES
EXPENDITURES
EXPLANATORY VARIABLE
FACTOR ENDOWMENTS
FINANCIAL CRISIS
FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT
FINANCIAL MARKETS
FINANCIAL SECTOR
FIXED EFFECTS
GDP
GDP PER CAPITA
GINI COEFFICIENT
GROSS INCOME
GROWTH EFFECT
GROWTH EPISODES
GROWTH MODELS
GROWTH RATES
GROWTH REGRESSIONS
GROWTH-POVERTY RELATIONSHIP
HEALTH OUTCOMES
HETEROSKEDASTICITY
HIGH INFLATION
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
INCOME
INCOME DISTRIBUTION
INCOME DISTRIBUTION DATA
INCOME GROWTH
INCOME INEQUALITY
INCOME LEVELS
INCOME SHARE
INCREASE GROWTH
INCREASED INEQUALITY
INCREASES
INFANT MORTALITY
INTERNATIONAL OPENNESS
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
INTERTEMPORAL VARIATION
LABOR PRODUCTIVITY
LINEAR RELATIONSHIP
LIVING STANDARDS
LONG RUN
LORENZ CURVE
MACRO STABILITY
MACROECONOMIC POLICIES
MACROECONOMIC STABILITY
MACROECONOMICS
MEAN DIFFERENCES
MEAN INCOME
MEAN INCOMES
MEASUREMENT ERROR
NATIONAL ACCOUNTS
NATIONAL INCOME
NEGATIVE EFFECT
NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP
NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
0 HYPOTHESIS
OPEN MARKETS
PER CAPITA INCOME
PER CAPITA INCOMES
POINT ESTIMATES
POLICY INTERVENTIONS
POLICY PACKAGE
POLICY RESEARCH
POOR COUNTRIES
POOR HOUSEHOLDS
POOR PEOPLE
POSITIVE EFFECT
POSITIVE EFFECTS
POVERTY HEADCOUNT
POVERTY LINE
POVERTY RATE
POVERTY REDUCTION
POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY
POWER PARITY
PRIMARY SCHOOL
PRIVATE PROPERTY
PRO-POOR
PROPERTY RIGHTS
PUBLIC INVESTMENT
PUBLIC SPENDING
PURCHASING POWER
PURCHASING POWER PARITY
QUALITY STANDARDS
REGIONAL DUMMIES
RELATIVE INCOMES
REVERSE CAUSATION
RICH COUNTRIES
RULE OF LAW
RURAL AREAS
SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
SOCIAL SAFETY
SOCIAL SAFETY NETS
SOCIAL SERVICES
SOCIAL SPENDING
STANDARD DEVIATION
TIME SERIES
TRANSITION ECONOMIES
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
spellingShingle AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY
AGRICULTURE
ANNUAL CHANGE
ANNUAL GROWTH
ANNUAL OBSERVATIONS
AVERAGE ANNUAL
AVERAGE INCOME
AVERAGE INCOMES
BENCHMARK
CAPITAL CONTROLS
CONDITIONAL CONVERGENCE
CONSUMPTION
COUNTRY EFFECTS
COUNTRY-SPECIFIC EFFECTS
CRISES
CROSS-COUNTRY DIFFERENCES
DATA AVAILABILITY
DEMOCRACY
DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH
DIFFERENCES IN INCOME
DISTRIBUTION EFFECT
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION
DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECT
DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECTS
DYNAMIC PANEL
ECONOMETRIC PROBLEMS
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC INTEGRATION
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
ELASTICITY
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
EMPIRICAL GROWTH LITERATURE
EMPIRICAL LITERATURE
EMPIRICAL REGULARITY
ERROR TERM
ERROR TERMS
EXCHANGE RATE
EXCHANGE RATES
EXPENDITURES
EXPLANATORY VARIABLE
FACTOR ENDOWMENTS
FINANCIAL CRISIS
FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT
FINANCIAL MARKETS
FINANCIAL SECTOR
FIXED EFFECTS
GDP
GDP PER CAPITA
GINI COEFFICIENT
GROSS INCOME
GROWTH EFFECT
GROWTH EPISODES
GROWTH MODELS
GROWTH RATES
GROWTH REGRESSIONS
GROWTH-POVERTY RELATIONSHIP
HEALTH OUTCOMES
HETEROSKEDASTICITY
HIGH INFLATION
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
INCOME
INCOME DISTRIBUTION
INCOME DISTRIBUTION DATA
INCOME GROWTH
INCOME INEQUALITY
INCOME LEVELS
INCOME SHARE
INCREASE GROWTH
INCREASED INEQUALITY
INCREASES
INFANT MORTALITY
INTERNATIONAL OPENNESS
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
INTERTEMPORAL VARIATION
LABOR PRODUCTIVITY
LINEAR RELATIONSHIP
LIVING STANDARDS
LONG RUN
LORENZ CURVE
MACRO STABILITY
MACROECONOMIC POLICIES
MACROECONOMIC STABILITY
MACROECONOMICS
MEAN DIFFERENCES
MEAN INCOME
MEAN INCOMES
MEASUREMENT ERROR
NATIONAL ACCOUNTS
NATIONAL INCOME
NEGATIVE EFFECT
NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP
NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
0 HYPOTHESIS
OPEN MARKETS
PER CAPITA INCOME
PER CAPITA INCOMES
POINT ESTIMATES
POLICY INTERVENTIONS
POLICY PACKAGE
POLICY RESEARCH
POOR COUNTRIES
POOR HOUSEHOLDS
POOR PEOPLE
POSITIVE EFFECT
POSITIVE EFFECTS
POVERTY HEADCOUNT
POVERTY LINE
POVERTY RATE
POVERTY REDUCTION
POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY
POWER PARITY
PRIMARY SCHOOL
PRIVATE PROPERTY
PRO-POOR
PROPERTY RIGHTS
PUBLIC INVESTMENT
PUBLIC SPENDING
PURCHASING POWER
PURCHASING POWER PARITY
QUALITY STANDARDS
REGIONAL DUMMIES
RELATIVE INCOMES
REVERSE CAUSATION
RICH COUNTRIES
RULE OF LAW
RURAL AREAS
SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
SOCIAL SAFETY
SOCIAL SAFETY NETS
SOCIAL SERVICES
SOCIAL SPENDING
STANDARD DEVIATION
TIME SERIES
TRANSITION ECONOMIES
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
Dollar, David
Kraay, Aart
Growth is Good for the Poor
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2587
description When average income rises, the average incomes of the poorest fifth of society rise proportionately. This is a consequence of the strong empirical regularity that the share of income accruing to the bottom quintile does not vary systematically with average income. The authors document this empirical regularity in a sample of 92 countries spanning the past four decades and show that it holds across regions, periods, income levels, and growth rates. The authors next ask whether the factors that explain cross-country differences in the growth rates of average incomes have differential effects on the poorest fifth of society. They find that several determinants of growth--such as good rule of law, opennness to international trade, and developed financial markets--have little systematic effect on the share of income that accrues to the bottom quintile. Consequently, these factors benefit the poorest fifth of society as much as everyone else. Thee is some weak evidence that stabilization from high inflation and reductions in the overall size of government not only increase growth but also increase the income share of the poorest fifth in society. Finally, the authors examine several factors commonly thought to disproportionately benefit the poorest in society, but find little evidence of their effects. The absence of robust findings emphasizes that relatively little is known about the broad forces that account for the cross-country and intertemporal variation in the share of income accruing to the poorest fifth of society.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Dollar, David
Kraay, Aart
author_facet Dollar, David
Kraay, Aart
author_sort Dollar, David
title Growth is Good for the Poor
title_short Growth is Good for the Poor
title_full Growth is Good for the Poor
title_fullStr Growth is Good for the Poor
title_full_unstemmed Growth is Good for the Poor
title_sort growth is good for the poor
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2014
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/04/1089579/growth-good-poor
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19679
_version_ 1764440304292724736
spelling okr-10986-196792021-04-23T14:03:43Z Growth is Good for the Poor Dollar, David Kraay, Aart AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AGRICULTURE ANNUAL CHANGE ANNUAL GROWTH ANNUAL OBSERVATIONS AVERAGE ANNUAL AVERAGE INCOME AVERAGE INCOMES BENCHMARK CAPITAL CONTROLS CONDITIONAL CONVERGENCE CONSUMPTION COUNTRY EFFECTS COUNTRY-SPECIFIC EFFECTS CRISES CROSS-COUNTRY DIFFERENCES DATA AVAILABILITY DEMOCRACY DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH DIFFERENCES IN INCOME DISTRIBUTION EFFECT DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECT DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECTS DYNAMIC PANEL ECONOMETRIC PROBLEMS ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC INTEGRATION EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ELASTICITY EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE EMPIRICAL GROWTH LITERATURE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE EMPIRICAL REGULARITY ERROR TERM ERROR TERMS EXCHANGE RATE EXCHANGE RATES EXPENDITURES EXPLANATORY VARIABLE FACTOR ENDOWMENTS FINANCIAL CRISIS FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL MARKETS FINANCIAL SECTOR FIXED EFFECTS GDP GDP PER CAPITA GINI COEFFICIENT GROSS INCOME GROWTH EFFECT GROWTH EPISODES GROWTH MODELS GROWTH RATES GROWTH REGRESSIONS GROWTH-POVERTY RELATIONSHIP HEALTH OUTCOMES HETEROSKEDASTICITY HIGH INFLATION HOUSEHOLD INCOME HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS INCOME INCOME DISTRIBUTION INCOME DISTRIBUTION DATA INCOME GROWTH INCOME INEQUALITY INCOME LEVELS INCOME SHARE INCREASE GROWTH INCREASED INEQUALITY INCREASES INFANT MORTALITY INTERNATIONAL OPENNESS INTERNATIONAL TRADE INTERTEMPORAL VARIATION LABOR PRODUCTIVITY LINEAR RELATIONSHIP LIVING STANDARDS LONG RUN LORENZ CURVE MACRO STABILITY MACROECONOMIC POLICIES MACROECONOMIC STABILITY MACROECONOMICS MEAN DIFFERENCES MEAN INCOME MEAN INCOMES MEASUREMENT ERROR NATIONAL ACCOUNTS NATIONAL INCOME NEGATIVE EFFECT NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP NORMAL DISTRIBUTION 0 HYPOTHESIS OPEN MARKETS PER CAPITA INCOME PER CAPITA INCOMES POINT ESTIMATES POLICY INTERVENTIONS POLICY PACKAGE POLICY RESEARCH POOR COUNTRIES POOR HOUSEHOLDS POOR PEOPLE POSITIVE EFFECT POSITIVE EFFECTS POVERTY HEADCOUNT POVERTY LINE POVERTY RATE POVERTY REDUCTION POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY POWER PARITY PRIMARY SCHOOL PRIVATE PROPERTY PRO-POOR PROPERTY RIGHTS PUBLIC INVESTMENT PUBLIC SPENDING PURCHASING POWER PURCHASING POWER PARITY QUALITY STANDARDS REGIONAL DUMMIES RELATIVE INCOMES REVERSE CAUSATION RICH COUNTRIES RULE OF LAW RURAL AREAS SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT SOCIAL SAFETY SOCIAL SAFETY NETS SOCIAL SERVICES SOCIAL SPENDING STANDARD DEVIATION TIME SERIES TRANSITION ECONOMIES WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION When average income rises, the average incomes of the poorest fifth of society rise proportionately. This is a consequence of the strong empirical regularity that the share of income accruing to the bottom quintile does not vary systematically with average income. The authors document this empirical regularity in a sample of 92 countries spanning the past four decades and show that it holds across regions, periods, income levels, and growth rates. The authors next ask whether the factors that explain cross-country differences in the growth rates of average incomes have differential effects on the poorest fifth of society. They find that several determinants of growth--such as good rule of law, opennness to international trade, and developed financial markets--have little systematic effect on the share of income that accrues to the bottom quintile. Consequently, these factors benefit the poorest fifth of society as much as everyone else. Thee is some weak evidence that stabilization from high inflation and reductions in the overall size of government not only increase growth but also increase the income share of the poorest fifth in society. Finally, the authors examine several factors commonly thought to disproportionately benefit the poorest in society, but find little evidence of their effects. The absence of robust findings emphasizes that relatively little is known about the broad forces that account for the cross-country and intertemporal variation in the share of income accruing to the poorest fifth of society. 2014-08-26T15:40:30Z 2014-08-26T15:40:30Z 2001-04 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/04/1089579/growth-good-poor http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19679 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2587 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research