ABSTRACT

Egypt and Tunisia are perceived to have high levels of inequality, yet based on standard measures, inequality in these two countries is not unusually high. In this study we explore a different dimension of inequality in Egypt and Tunisia by using a more complete measure of income and decomposing inequality by income sources (factor components). We find that higher-income households have more income sources than lower-income ones. Informal wage work and earnings from household enterprises are more common in Egypt than Tunisia, while formal wage work, pensions, and social assistance are more common in Tunisia. Social assistance does little to offset income inequality in either country. Enterprise earnings (in Egypt) and agricultural earnings (in Tunisia) as well as rent and other capital income in both countries play a large role in inequality. High inequality in these non-wage income sources and unequal access to income sources tied to wealth and capital may help explain why inequality is perceived to be high.

摘要

人们认为埃及和突尼斯的不平等程度很高，但根据标准衡量标准，这两个国家的不平等程度并不算高。在本研究中，我们通过使用更完整的收入衡量标准并按收入来源（要素组成）分解不平等，探索了埃及和突尼斯不平等的不同维度。我们发现高收入家庭比低收入家庭拥有更多的收入来源。埃及的非正规有薪工作和家庭企业的收入比突尼斯更常见，而正规的有薪工作、养老金和社会援助在突尼斯更为普遍。社会援助对抵消这两个国家的收入不平等无济于事。两国的企业收入（埃及）和农业收入（突尼斯）以及租金和其他资本收入在不平等中发挥着重要作用。