Inequality in Perspective: Rethinking Inequality Measurement, Minimum Wages and Elites in Mexico

Krozer, Alice

doi:10.17863/cam.37302

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Among elites it is not uncommon to believe they rank lower in relation to wealth distribution than they actually do (Hecht 2017;Krozer 2020). In this sense, these statements might also reflect a perception of «relative affluence» (Krozer 2018) among elites that compare their own «modest» wealth with much richer peers, without much consideration for the living conditions of the poor. In hindsight, we cannot unambiguously define whether such self-deprecating comments are genuine self-perceptions or cynical practices that serve the purpose of avoiding too much scrutiny into their affairs.…”

Section: Middlementioning

confidence: 99%

Life on the Edge: Elites, Wealth and Inequality in Sonora 1871-1910

Garza

Krozer

2022

RHE / JILAEH

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This paper engages with and aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion regarding the role of economic and political elites in inequality dynamics and their reproduction over time. We reconstruct the distribution of wealth employing a sample of wills from the El Colegio de Sonora database covering the period of 1871-1910. We show that the rapid industrialisation and modernisation process that occurred in northern Mexico during the late-19th and early-20th centuries led to a continuous increment in wealth concentration at the top of the distribution. The Gini index measure of 0.58 for the 1871-1885 period rose to 0.80 in 1901-1910. Rather than a natural or «Kuznetsian» inevitability fundamental (kuznetsian) necessity, however, our subsequent analysis of the wills of the upper classes suggests a critical role played by the political economy at the time and highlights the importance of control over natural resources on inequality dynamics.

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Section: Middlementioning

confidence: 99%