Income Inequality and Government Transfers in Mexico

Download or read book Income Inequality and Government Transfers in Mexico written by Frederic Lambert and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-07-11 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We analyze microdata from Mexico's survey on household income and expenditures (ENIGH) to study the evolution of income inequality in Mexico over 2004-16, identify its sources, and investigate how it was affected by government social policy. We find evidence of only a small decline in inequality over this period. The observed decline may be attributed to government transfers, notably targeted cash transfers (Prospera) and non-contributory pensions. In 2016, those two programs accounted for more than two thirds of the reduction in the Gini coefficient due to government transfers. Other transfer programs such as farmland subsidies (Proagro), government scholarships, and non-monetary transfers for medical expenditures have not been as effective.