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Equalizing or disequalizing? Opposing socio-demographic determinants of the spatial distribution of welfare.

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Evidence-based policymaking through socio-economic analysis

Socio-economic inequality is a pressing issue around the world, with attention usually placed on factors like trade or globalisation to compare development across countries. To enrich the discussion, EQUALIZE explored the demographic determinants of inequalities, such as gender, within countries. The project considered education and, more precisely, the reverse gender gap.

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Over the last few decades, inequalities caused by factors such as poverty and gender discrimination have been shrinking worldwide. At the same time, new social phenomena are emerging around issues such as healthy ageing, or the attainment of high-quality education and skills. This can cause greater inequality or, in the case of the reverse gender gap, can reduce it. Demographic dynamics and family arrangements have the potential to tilt the balance of these inequalities towards more equality or less. Trends such as the appearance of high-skilled dual-earning couples and the increase in divorce and lone parenthood can all lead to increased inequality. Conversely, the reversal of the gender education gap in favour of women can reduce disparities. The European Research Council-supported project EQUALIZE (Equalizing or disequalizing? Opposing socio-demographic determinants of the spatial distribution of welfare) set out to examine these dynamics to map the direction of travel for social equality. “Understanding how these opposing forces shape the distribution of welfare is crucial for researchers and policymakers concerned with global justice in the 21st century,” says Iñaki Permanyer, principal researcher. The project’s findings have already contributed to work by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including the Human Development Report (2019).

The SHDI

Despite its strengths, the Human Development Index cannot cater for variations in income, health and education, within countries. For this reason, EQUALIZE contributed to the creation of the Subnational Human Development Index (SHDI), containing indices for over 1 600 regions within 160 countries. “By enabling policymakers to investigate global socio-economic change in unprecedented detail, our new SHDI can improve efforts to monitor progress, such as the Sustainable Development Goals,” adds Permanyer. Project analysis of the index found that income, health and education variation is especially prevalent in low- and middle-developed countries, where 70 % of the world’s population live, but is less significant in the most developed countries. Additionally, the team found that while most of the SHDI inequality in low-developed countries could be attributed to disparities in education, within more highly developed countries inequality was more likely to come from differences in income.

Indicators of well-being – health and education

Using census microdata samples and household surveys from around the world, EQUALIZE looked at educational variability and the gender gap in education over time, documenting trends across the world from 1950 to 2010 (with projections until 2040). Findings included the fact that up until the turn of the millennium, education attainment variability among men was typically higher than among women. After 2000, distributions display the same degree of dispersion. “Currently, most global education variability in high- and middle-income countries is attributable to women tending to be more highly educated than men,” explains Permanyer. Regarding health, EQUALIZE completed studies comparing inequalities in life expectancy and length of life across countries and socio-economic groups since the 1950s. Results indicated that health differences across groups tend to increase over time, with lower socio-economic status groups experiencing higher uncertainty about the age at which they are likely to die (particularly among men).

Towards sustainable growth

EQUALIZE benefitted from an increased availability of subnational data around the world. Drawing on many data sources, such as household surveys, enabled the project to take an internationally comparative perspective. “The Europe 2020 strategy aimed for sustainable growth across states. By looking at differences in socio-economic development within countries as well as between them, our findings can help design more territorially cohesive policies,” says Permanyer. “Additionally, understanding micro-level demographic dynamics, such as the influence of lone parenthood on income inequality, can help reduce these inequalities.” One idea currently under development is to capture global sex-specific indicators of socio-economic development, such as education, health and standard of living, at the subnational level to investigate socio-economic differences in unprecedented detail.

Keywords

EQUALIZE, social equality, inequality, demographics, poverty, socio-economic, status, health, education, family, gender

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