The Decline of Global Inequality in the 21st Century

Reconsidering the Industrial Transformation Thesis

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2229969
AutoresR K Pandian (0000-0002-6080-1817, Southern Methodist University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2024
Volumen129
Número5
Páginas1493-1534
Fecha de publicación2024-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0002-9602 • E-ISSN: 1537-5390
EditorialUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/729810
OpenAlexW4391467310
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas59

Global inequality declined substantially after 2000, reversing a two-century-long trend of rising inequality. While conventional explanations attribute this decline to industrialization in poor nations aided by economic globalization, this industrial transformation thesis has not been empirically scrutinized. The author uses counterfactual simulation exercises and sectoral macroeconomic data to examine the factors driving income growth in the poor countries most responsible for declining between-country inequality since 2000. His findings contradict the industrial transformation thesis. First, a substantial portion of inequality decline has resulted from slower growth in rich nations. Second, he finds that past literature has overstated the role of the globalized manufacturing sector in reducing inequality. Apart from China, the poor nations that contributed most to inequality decline have not seen shifts toward manufacturing in terms of output, employment, or their export profile. The author situates these findings in the global inequality literature and discusses their implications for the future trajectory of global inequality

Economic geography · Economics · Inequality · Mathematical analysis · Sociology · Transformation (genetics) · Economic Growth and Productivity · Global trade and economics · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Mathematics