基尼系数的世界
A World of Ginis
AI总结：
研究全球基尼系数估计差异问题，通过回顾数据库、构建统一数据集分析发现基于收入和消费的基尼系数有差距及其他差异，提供校正因子，指出改善差异取决于数据库管理员和用户，总体差异增长主要因数据库增多。
AI中文摘要：
基尼系数仍是全球经济不平等的最重要衡量指标，准确估计该指数对有效公共政策至关重要。然而，同一国家和年份的基尼系数估计在不同数据源间差异很大，这一问题基本未解决。本文回顾提供基尼系数估计的全球和区域最大数据库，构建了一个涵盖222个国家和地区、158年（1867年至2024年）的122351个基尼观察值的统一数据集。分析表明全球基于收入的基尼系数平均比基于消费的高4.7个百分点，某些地区高达10个百分点，且差距随时间扩大。基于这些发现，本文提供了校正因子以协调基于不同福利概念的基尼系数。还表明自1960年以来数据库间的总体差异仅略有增加，主要是由于数据库增多而非长期数据源间真正的差异。因此，改善全球基尼系数现有差异是可能的，但最终取决于数据库管理员披露基尼系数构建的全部细节以及用户选择基于可比衡量标准构建的基尼系数。
英文摘要：
The Gini index remains the most important measure of economic inequality worldwide, and accurate estimates of this index are essential for effective public policies. Yet, Gini estimates for the same country and year vary considerably across data sources, a problem that remains largely unresolved. The paper reviews the largest global and regional databases providing Gini estimates, surveys the related literature, and constructs a unified dataset of 122,351 Gini observations spanning 222 countries and territories and 158 years, from 1867 to 2024. The analysis of this new dataset shows that income-based Ginis exceed consumption-based ones by 4.7 points on average globally, and by as much as 10 points in some regions, with these gaps widening over time. The gross--net income distinction and the use of alternative equivalence scales together with several other measurement choices add further systematic differences. Based on these findings, the paper provides correction factors that can be used to harmonise Ginis built on different welfare concepts. We further show that overall divergence across databases has grown only modestly since 1960, and mainly through the proliferation of databases rather than through genuine divergence among long-standing sources. Thus, improving on the existing discrepancies across Ginis globally is possible, but ultimately depends on database administrators disclosing full details of Gini construction and on users selecting Ginis built on comparable measures.
