Economic Freedom and Income Inequality: Evidence from a Panel of Global Economies— A Linear and a Non-Linear Long-Run Analysis

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Apergis, Nicholas;Cooray, Arusha
Abstract

This study employs panel data from 138 countries (with unbalanced time frameworks) to investigate the relationship between economic freedom and income inequality. Both linear and non-linear cointegration methodologies are used to identify a long-run equilibrium relationship between: (i) the overall Economic Freedom of the World index and income inequality, and (ii) the major areas of the index and income inequality. The linear long-run parameter estimates document that the association turns out to be negative, while the non-linear long-run parameter estimates illustrate that above a threshold point the association between economic freedom and income inequality is negative, while below this threshold point, the association turns out to be positive. The empirical findings survive a number of robustness tests, such as alternative measures of income inequality.

Journal

Manchester School

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Volume

85

ISBN/ISSN

1467-9957

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Issue

1

Pages Count

18

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Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

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EISSN

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DOI

10.1111/manc.12137