The Relationship Between Economic Growth and Income Inequality: The Validity of Kuznets inverted-U Hypothesis


TOPUZ S. G., DAĞDEMİR Ö.

ESKISEHIR OSMANGAZI UNIVERSITESI IIBF DERGISI-ESKISEHIR OSMANGAZI UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES, cilt.11, sa.3, ss.115-130, 2016 (ESCI) identifier

Özet

This study aims to determine effects of economic growth on income inequality by classifiying countries in terms of their level of development. The validity of Kuznets's inverted-U shaped hypothesis is tested for four different panels that is divided as low and low-middle income countries, upper-middle income countries, high income countries and all countries. This paper examines that the relationship between economic growth and income inequality by using data for the period of 1995-2011 and 94 countries. The evidences support Kuznets's hypothesis. Income inequality decreases with economic growth in high income countries, while it increases in low and low-middle income and upper-middle income countries. The results indicate that economic growth should be supported by the policies reducing income inequality.