Neighbors’ income distribution: economic segregation and mixing in US urban neighborhoods

The paper describes within-neighborhood economic segregation in US metropolitan areas in 1985 and 1993. It uses the neighborhood clusters of the American housing survey, standardized by metropolitan area income and household size, to explore income distribution within neighborhoods at a scale much smaller than the census tract (a representative sample of households or ‘kernels’ and their 10 closest neighbors). Joint and conditional distributions portray neighbors’ characteristics conditional on the kernel’s housing tenure, race, and income. The paper documents both significant income mixing in the majority of US urban micro neighborhoods and the extent of income mixing within neighborhoods of concentrated poverty.     

The effects of free trade agreements on regional wages in China

We empirically study the effects of free trade agreements on regional wages in China using Redding and Venables’ (2004) extended model and manufacturing firm-level data in China from 2000 to 2007. We show that although free trade agreements can, in general, increase firms’ average wage level, they also contribute to increasing the wage gap in China. We also find that free trade agreements can have different effects on firms’ wages across China. In particular, they have stronger effects on average wage levels in land border regions than in coastal regions. Moreover, although firms in land border regions may be located closer to the partner countries of free trade agreements, they may still prefer to use shipping to transport goods. Our findings have important policy implications. In particular, we suggest that free trade agreements with China’s western neighbors should be accompanied by the development of appropriate land transportation networks. Moreover, income tax policy regimes should be differentiated across regions in China.     

The effects of location-based tax policies on the distribution of household income: Evidence from the federal Empowerment Zone program

Location-based tax policies are redistributive as evidenced by their placement in distressed areas. However, the previous literature has focused on mean effects which can mask important effects that the program has on the distribution of households. Therefore, we extend the literature by studying changes in the entire household income distribution, in the context of the federal Empowerment Zone (EZ) program. We do not find evidence that the impoverished residents benefited from the program. Our findings are consistent with the areas becoming more attractive to high-income households. The improvements in the areas were concentrated in those portions of each zone that were relatively better-off prior to EZ designation. The results confirm the prior literature findings that the areas, on average, became more attractive but also suggest that the benefits of the program likely did not accrue to the lower-income residents of the EZ areas.     

我国城镇居民收入分配差距探源

分析了当前城镇居民个人收入分配的现状 ,探讨了收入分配差距拉大的原因 ,指出了城镇居民收入分配中存在的问题 ,给出了解决对策