Konstantin
Gluschenko
Spatial Inequality
Summary of the course
This course familiarizes with modern methodologies
of empirically analyzing inequality (first of all, income inequality) across spatial
units (countries, regions within a country, cities, etc.). It comprises of two
parts. The first part deals with analytical tools grouped into three
approaches: cross-sectional analysis, time series analysis, and distribution
dynamics analysis. This part also considers measuring inequality, implications
of the economic growth theory regarding evolution of income inequality, and
discusses areas of applicability of specific methods and issues of spatial
comparability of data to be analyzed. The second part considers practical
application of analytical tools expounded in the first part by the example of
modern scholarly publications (by both domestic and foreign economists)
studying income inequality among Russian regions.
The main
tutorial for this course is K.
Gluschenko. Methodologies of analyzing inter-regional income inequality
and their applications to
downloadable from:
http://ideas.repec.org/p/wdi/papers/2010-984.html
A part of this tutorial (Section 2 and about a
half of Section 3.1) should be replaced/supplemented with K. Gluschenko. Myths about
beta-convergence. William Davidson Institute Working Paper No.
1040, 2012;
dowloadable from:
http://ideas.repec.org/p/wdi/papers/2012-1040.html
Additional
readings will be distributed during the progress of the course.
Final test
The course
ends with an end-of-term test [дифференцированный зачёт]. To pass it, a student should
write a two-three page essay that contains a critical review of a paper
regarding income inequality among spatial units – preferably, Russian regions.
(Papers already discussed in the above-mentioned tutorial are inadmissible!) The
paper to be analyzed may be a journal article or working paper in English or in
Russian (while the essay must be in English anyway). The grade will depend on
the quality of the essay.