Economic Volatility and Inequality: Do Aid and Remittances Matter?

We examine the adverse impact of macroeconomic volatility on inequality and the role that aid and remittances could play in mitigating this effect. Using a panel of 142 countries over 1973-2012, we find that macroeconomic volatility widens income equality with the poorest being most exposed. However, while aid and remittances do not seem to have a direct impact on inequality, we both find evidence that aid helps to mitigate the negative effects of volatility on income distribution and has a stabilizing impact on income while remittances do not.
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Chauvet, L., Ferry, M., Guillaumont, P., Guillaumont Jeanneney, S., Tapsoba, S. J.-A. et Wagner, L.Economic Volatility and Inequality: Do Aid and Remittances Matter? Ferdi Note brève B152, juillet 2016