Averaging methods are routinely used in order to limit biases resulting from the mismeasurement of permanent incomes. The Solon/Zimmerman estimator regresses a single-year measurement of the child's resources on a T-period average of the parents' income while the Behrman/Taubman estimator...

Because the permanent incomes of parents and children are typically unobservable, the estimation of the intergenerational correlation of incomes is usually carried out via averaging methods or instrumentation. In this paper we take the permanent income of the parent family to be unobserved, but...

We study the evolution of earnings inequality in Switzerland during the recession of the 1990s. We compare the Lorenz curves of the 1992 and 1997 distributions, as well as the related generalised Lorenz curves, given the pay deterioration witnessed during this period. The Lorenz curve is shown...

By limiting the scope for substitution between commodities, other things equal quantity constraints raise the cost of living. Thus, rationed families have higher povery lines than unconstrained ones. This heterogeneity in both resources and poverty lines means that, in principle, bivariate...

We contrast two approaches to the prediction of latent variables in the model of factor analysis. The likelihood statistic constitutes the set of minimal sufficient statistics for the unobservables when sampling arises from the exponential family of distributions. Linear predictors on the other...

Because the permanent incomes of parents are children are typically unobserved, the estimation of the intergenerational correlation via the use of proxy variables entails an errors-in-variables bias. By solving a system of moment equations for income observed at a given year, and a T-period...

Nous amenons certains compléments aux travaux de Küng Gugler et Blank (2000) portant sur l'évolution de l'inégalité des salaires entre 1992 et 1997. Notamment, nous incluons dans nos données les travailleurs indépendants. Nous apportons également une dimension inférentielle à la...

An emerging literature in the field of income distribution suggests that inequality may persist in the long run. U.S. father and son income data extracted from the PSID support the hypothesis that the distribution of earnings of children raised in privileged environments welfare-dominates that...

Taking a benchmark scenario, the current situation in Switzerland, and using a microsimulation technique, we compare the effectiveness of various income maintenance schemes for reducing inequality and poverty. A full negative income tax allowance designed to eliminate poverty is shown to reduce...

Life-cycle theories emphasize the fact that consumption is allocated intertemporally, on the basis of a long-term concept of resources that differs from household income. Because life-cycle income is unobserved, the distribution of this variable cannot be recovered. It is shown that, within a...