What do we know about wealth inequality in Brazil?

Fandiño, Pedro, Kerstenetzky, Celia and Simões, Tais (2024) What do we know about wealth inequality in Brazil? III Working Papers (141). International Inequalities Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.

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Abstract

Wealth inequality has gained importance in the international debate following the publication of Capital in the 21st Century, by Thomas Piketty, which contains systematic data on the size and evolution of the phenomenon in advanced economies over the last few centuries. In particular, Piketty's research reveals an important decrease in wealth concentration throughout the 20th century, a decrease that has not been sustained in the first decades of the 21st century. What can be said about the levels and historical trajectory of wealth inequality in Brazil, one of the world’s most unequal countries? We investigated all available estimates since the 17th century. The work is organized based on the different sources and approaches used to construct the estimates, which cannot be directly obtained from national household surveys or censuses. Two conclusions stand out: a) wealth concentration presents extreme levels and notable stability over time, despite profound transformations in the composition of assets; and b) all available estimates have significant limitations. The availability of adequate public data, along with improvements in the procedures employed so far, is essential for the development of a literature on wealth inequality in the country – the first step towards effective public engagement with the issue.

Item Type:	Monograph (Working Paper)
Official URL:	https://www.lse.ac.uk/International-Inequalities
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Authors
Divisions:	International Inequalities Institute
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
JEL classification:	D - Microeconomics > D3 - Distribution > D31 - Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions D - Microeconomics > D6 - Welfare Economics > D63 - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E0 - General > E01 - Measurement and Data on National Income and Product Accounts and Wealth
Date Deposited:	27 Jun 2024 08:54
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 19:54
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/123988

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