Distribución de Ingresos en Chile: 1958 – 2001

Abstract

This article studies the household income distribution and its immediate determinants in the chilean economy. The analysis is based in two data sources: the employment survey of University of Chile (1958-2001) and the Casen survey (1987-2000). The former provides long run data for Santiago metropolitan area whereas Casen is a nationwide survey beginning in 1987. It is shown that high income inequality is a pervasive fact in Chile; the lowest point in the 43 year period is a Gini coefficient of 0.41 in 1958 (a large figure for international standards). Changes in income inequality during the period under analysis can be related to fluctuations in the unemployment rate, relative wages and female labor participation. It is also shown that income inequality experiences a structural rise after 1974 and that the variable follows a U trajectory during the 90s.