Department of Political Science and Public Administration

Doctoral Dissertation in progress

"A Comparative Study on Inequality in Emerging Economies"

Commencement date: October 19, 2021

Abstract

The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to explain the structure and level of within-country inequality in selected emerging economies. The rapid convergence of mean incomes in China and other Asian economies, as well as in some Latin American cases, to the level observed in developed economies, signals a general trend of reduced inequality among countries. However, the heterogenous distributive effects of the convergence process within countries, has yet to be analyzed sufficiently. In this dissertation inequality will be examined in the light of economic, political institutions and history. Additionally, it is crucial to identify the Growth Model of the economies, in order to evaluate its importance in determining the structure and evolution of inequality within countries. This effort must be preceded by setting the theoretical foundations concerning the correlation between the Growth Model, institutions, and inequality, in order to properly handle the concepts.  The dissertation is expected to result in statistically testable hypotheses and the presentation of a comprehensive comparative study as well as case studies.