In a polarised and highly unequal country such as South Africa, it is unlikely that a definition of the middle class that is based on an income threshold will adequately capture the political and social meanings of being middle class. We therefore propose a multi-dimensional definition, rooted...

This paper investigates the channels through which the middle class may matter for consumption growth and development. Determinants of the size and the growth of the middle class are also examined. Using several different middle class measures and a panel of 72 developing countries spanning the...

The impact of the expansion of the middle class in developing countries has been widely investigated in recent years. The middle class is generally apprehended by its overall demographic size, which, we believe, may hide crucial features and differences across nations because the composition of...