International Studies Reivew Vol. 13 No.2 December 2012

pages: 1-26

The main purpose of this paper is to compare the income
inequality and welfare levels between countries selected on
a worldwide basis in the 1980s. As analytical tools, Lorenz
curves, the Gini coefficients and generalized Lorenz curves
are used. Implicit in our analysis is the presumption that
welfare is a function of the "size" of total income and distributional
equality. This study makes it possible to observe
the welfare levels of the selected countries by combining real
GDP per capita with income decile. It thus contributes to
increasing our understanding of household income inequality
and welfare levels in the 1980s. Data for this study is from
the "Households Income and Expenditure Statistics, 4th edition"
(HIES), one of a series published by the International
Labour Organization.