Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-xfwgj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-04T14:17:26.214Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Income Distribution and the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Richard Weisskoff
Richard Weisskoff*
Affiliation:
Graduate School of International Studies, University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The Issue of the Distribution of income is once again emerging as a critical component in the debates regarding Latin America's development path in the 1990s and as a factor underlying the proposed Enterprise of the Americas Initiative (EAI). I will argue that the degree of income inequality in the Latin American societies will prove to be an obvious, if unnoticed, obstacle to social progress which will affect the operation and outcome of the Initiative. In this essay, I review some of the hypotheses and recent findings from the research on income distribution. I shall contrast the conditions of the growth decades of the 1960s and 1970s with the “lost” decade of the 1980s. What have we learned, and what have we avoided learning during these years? How many of the initial conditions which the Alliance for Progress aimed at remedying 30 years ago are still with us?

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , Winter 1991 , pp. 111 - 132
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adelman, I. and Levy, A. (1984) “Decomposing Theil's Income of Income Inequality into between and within Components: A Note.” Review of Income and Wealth 30, 1 (March): 119-222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Adelman, I. and Morris, C. (1973) Economic Growth and Social Equity in Developing Countries. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Adelman, I. and Robinson, S. (1989) “Income Distribution and Development,” pp. 950-1003 in H. Chenery and T.N. Srinivasan (eds.) Handbook of Development Economics. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: North Holland.Google Scholar
Altimir, O. (1984) “Poverty, Income Distribution and Child Welfare in Latin America: A Comparison of Pre- and Post- Recession Data.” World Development 12, 3 (March): 261-82.Google Scholar
Behrman, J. (1990) “The Action of Human Resources and Poverty on One Another: What We Have Yet to Learn” (World Bank LSMS Working Paper No. 74; mimeo). Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Berg, A. (1987) Malnutrition: What Can Be Done? Lessons from World Bank Experience. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Berg, A. and Sachs, J. (1988) “The Debt Crisis: Structural Explanations of Country Performance.” Journal of Development Economics 29 (November): 271-306.Google Scholar
Blomstrom, M. and Meller, P. (1991) Diverging Paths: Comparing a Century of Scandinavian and Latin American Economic Development. Washington, DC: Interamerican Development Bank (IDB).Google Scholar
Bresser-Pereira, L. and Nakano, Y. (1987) The Theory of Inertial Inflation: The Foundation of Economic Reform in Brazil and Argentina. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.Google Scholar
Campano, F. and Salvatore, D. (1988) “Economic Development, Income Inequality and Kuznet's U-Shaped Hypothesis.” Journal of Policy Modeling 10, 2 (Summer): 265-80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chan, E. (1990) “A Compendium of Data on Poverty and Income Distribution” (background paper for World Development Report 1990). Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Chan, S. (1989) “Income Inequality among LDCs: A Comparative Analysis of Alternative Perspectives.” International Studies Quarterly 33 (March): 45-65.Google Scholar
Chenery, H., Ahluwalia, M., Bell, C.L.G., Dulloy, J., and Jolly, R.. (1974) Redistribution with Growth. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Cline, W.R. (1975) “Distribution and Development: A Survey of the Literature.” Journal of Development Economics 1: 359-400.Google Scholar
Cline, W.R. (1972) The Potential Effect of Income Redistribution on Economic Growth in Six Latin American Countries. New York, NY: Praeger.Google Scholar
DeJanvry, A. (1981) The Agrarian Question and Reformism in Latin America. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeJanvry, A. and Sadoulet, E. (1989) “Investment Strategies to Combat Rural Poverty: A Proposal for Latin America.” World Development 17, 8 (August): 1203-1221.Google Scholar
Devlin, R. (1989) Debt and Crisis in Latin America: The Supply Side of the Story. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Dornbusch, R. and Edwards, S. (1990) “Macroeconomic Populism.” Journal of Development Economics 32 (April): 247-77.Google Scholar
Felix, D. (1983) “Income Distribution and the Quality of Life in Latin America: Patterns, Trends, and Policy Implications.” Latin American Research Review 28, 2: 3-33.Google Scholar
Fields, G.S. (1990) “Poverty and Inequality in Latin America: Some New Evidence” (mimeo). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University.Google Scholar
Fields, G.S. (1989a) “Changes in Poverty and Inequality in Developing Countries.” World Bank Research Observer 4, 2 (July): 167-85.Google Scholar
Fields, G.S. (1989b) “Growth and Income Distribution,” pp. 1-52 in Psacharopoulos, George (ed.) Essays on Poverty, Equity and Growth. Oxford, England: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Fields, G.S. (1984) “Employment, Income Distribution and Economic Growth in Seven Small Open Economies.” Economic Jouranl 94 (March): 74-83.Google Scholar
Figueroa, A. and Weisskoff, R. (1974) “Visión de las Piramides Sociales: Distributión del Ingreso en América Latina.” Ensayos ECIEL 1 (November): 83-154. [also reprinted in (1976) Latin American Research Review 11,2: 71-113; and pp. 257-94 in (1980) R. Ferber (ed.) Consumption and Income Distribution in Latin America. Washington, DC: OAS].Google Scholar
Fishlow, A. (1972) “Brazilian Size Distribution of Income.” American Economic Review 62 (May): 391-402.Google Scholar
Hirschman, A. O. (ed.) (196la) Latin American Issues: Essays and Comments. New York, NY: Twentieth Century Fund.Google Scholar
Hirschman, A. O. (ed.) (196lb) “Second Thoughts on the Alliance for Progress.” The Reporter (25 May): 20-23 [reprinted pp. 175-182 in A. Hirschman (1971) A Bias for Hope. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press].Google Scholar
Huffbauer, G. and Schott, J. (1991) “Reaching for the Stars: Five Prerequisites for Hemispheric Free Trade.” Latin Finance 25 (March): 52-3.Google Scholar
International Monetary Fund (IMF) (1991) World Economic Outlook, October 1991. Washington, DC: IMF.Google Scholar
Kaldor, M. (1991) “Problems of Adjustment to Lower Levels of Military Spending in Developed and Developing Countries.” Paper presented at the World Bank Annual Conference on Development Economics, Washington (DC), 25-26 April.Google Scholar
Kuznets, S. (1963) “Quantitative Aspects of the Growth of Nations: Distribution of Income by Size.” Economic Development and Cultural Change 11, 2 (January): 1-80.Google Scholar
Kuznets, S. (1955) “Economic Growth and Income Inequality.” American Economic Review 45, 1 (March): 1-18.Google Scholar
Lessard, D. and Williamson, J. (1987) Capital Flight and Third World Debt. Washington, DC: Institute for International Economics (HE).Google Scholar
Lewis, W. A. (1954) “Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour.” Manchester School 22 (May): 139-91.Google Scholar
McNamara, R. (1991) “The Post-Cold War and its Implications for Military Expenditures in the Developing Countries.” Paper presented at the World Bank Annual Conference on Development Economics, Washington (DC), 25-26 April.Google Scholar
Quan, N.T. and KOO, A. (1985) “Concentration of Landholdings: An Empirical Exploration of Kuznet's Conjecture.” Journal of Development Economics 18,1 (May-June): 101-117. [also “Comment” by G. Wignaraja in (1988) Journal Development Economics 29, 2 (September): 229-32; and “Reply” in same issue: 233-34].Google Scholar
Ravallion, M., Datt, G., Van de Walle, D., and Chan, E. (1991) “Quantifying the Magnitude and Severity of Absolute Poverty in the Developing World in the Mid-1980s” (World Bank Working Paper No. 587; mimeo). Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Robinson, S. (1989) “Multisectoral Models,” pp. 886-947 in Chenery, H. and Srinivasan, T. N. (eds.) Handbook of Development Economics. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: North Holland. Google Scholar
Sachs, J. (1989) “Social Conflict and Populist Policies in Latin America” (NBER Working Paper 2897). Cambridge, MA: NBER.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sen, A. (1981) Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlements and Deprivation. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Sheahan, J. (1987) Patterns of Development in Latin America: Poverty, Repression, and Economic Strategy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Swamy, S. (1967) “Structural Changes in the Distribution of Income by Size: The Case of India.” Review of Income and Wealth 13, 2 (June): 115-74.Google Scholar
United Nations (UN) (1991a) World Economic Survey 1991/92. New York, NY: United Nations.Google Scholar
United Nations (UN) (1991b) UN Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Indicators,” pp. 123-145 in Human Development Report 1971. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
United Nations (UN) (1990) World Economic Survey 1990. New York, NY: United Nations.Google Scholar
Weisskoff, R. (1992) Forty Years of Income Distribution Studies in Latin America/A Cross Section of Time Series (GSIS discussion paper). Coral Gables, FL: University of Miami, Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS).Google Scholar
Weisskoff, R. (1990) “The Political Economy of the Israeli Inflation,” pp. 127-52 in Falk, Pamela (ed.) Inflation: Are We Next’ Hyperinflation and Solutions in Argentina, Brazil, and Israel. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.Google Scholar
Weisskoff, R. (1985) Factories and Food Stamps: The Puerto Rico Model of Development. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Weisskoff, R. (1977) “Equity, Efficiency, and Social Welfare in Latin America.” Review of Economic Development 2, 1 (July): 65-108.Google Scholar
Weisskoff, R. (1976) “Income Distribution and Export Promotion in Puerto Rico,” pp. 205-228 in Polenske, K. and Skolke, I. (eds.) Advances in Input-Output. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.Google Scholar
Weisskoff, R. (1971) “A Multi-Sector Simulation Model of Employment, Growth and Income Distribution in Puerto Rico: A Re-evaluation of a ‘Successful’ Development Strategy” (research report; mimeo). Washington, DC: US Department of Labor.Google Scholar
Weisskoff, R. (1970) “Income Distribution and Economic Growth in Puerto Rico, Argentina, and Mexico.” Review of Income and Wealth 16, 4 (December): 303-32.Google Scholar
Wilkie, J. (1974) Measuring Land Reform. Los Angeles, CA: University of California at Los Angeles, Latin American Center.Google Scholar
World Bank (1991) World Development Report: The Challenge of Development. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
World Bank (1990a) “A Bibliography on Poverty and Income Distribution in Latin America” (2nd ed., Latin America and Caribbean Region; mimeo). Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
World Bank (1990b) World Development Report 1990: Poverty. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar