Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics
Working Paper Series,
Uppsala University, Department of Economics
No 2000:18: Wealth Dynamics in the 1980’s and 1990’s: Sweden and the U.S.
Anders Klevmarken (), Joseph Lupton and Frank Stafford ()
Additional contact information
Anders Klevmarken: Department of Economics, Postal: Uppsala University, P.O. Box 513, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
Joseph Lupton: Institute for Social Research and, Postal: Department of Economics, University of Michigan, 238 Lorch Hall, 611 Tappan St., Ann Arbro, MI48109-1220, U.S.A.
Frank Stafford: Institute for Social Research and, Postal: Department of Economics, University of Michigan, 238 Lorch Hall, 611 Tappan St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1220, U.S.A.
Abstract: Given differences in public saving programs between Sweden and the United States, an examination of household private wealth accumulation in these two countries can be enlightening. In this paper we examine wealth inequality and mobility in Sweden and the United States over the past decade. We show that wealth inequality has been significantly greater in the U.S. than in Sweden and, while remaining relatively constant since the mid-1980’s in Sweden, has increased in the United States. In addition to less inequality and a higher median wealth, we also show that wealth quintile mobility in the 1990’s has been 25.7% higher in Sweden, as measured by Shorrocks’ index. Noting the role of various demographic components in shaping the patterns of wealth mobility as well as the importance of the initial wealth distribution, we utilize a matching algorithm that controls for these differences. Matching on the initial wealth distribution alone accounts for most of the mobility difference between the two countries and yields a Shorrocks’ index in the U.S. 11.1% less than that in Sweden. Adjusting for the large degree of imputation in the Swedish data, the U.S. index is only 3.4% to 6.1% less than that of Sweden. Along with exploring the role of racial composition differences, we conclude tha demographic variation between Sweden and the U.S. play very little role in explaining wealth mobility beyond that explained by the initial wealth distribution. Despite the higher quintile mobility in Sweden, dollar mobility is still high in the United States.
Keywords: Mobility; Wealth; Panel data; Statistical matching; Comparison U.S. - Sweden
39 pages, November 1, 2000
Full text files
2000wp18.pdf
- Published as
- Anders Klevmarken, Joseph Lupton and Frank Stafford, (2003), 'Wealth Dynamics in the 1980’s and 1990’s: Sweden and the U.S.', Journal of Human Resources, vol 38, no 2, pages 322-353
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