Incidence of Inequality of Opportunity on Income Inequality in Côte d’Ivoire: An analysis through parents’ access to education

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, we analyze the inequalities of opportunity in Côte d'Ivoire applying the method of Checchi and Peragine (2010) with the household standard of living survey of 2015. The education level of the head of household is considered as an exogenous characteristic of the individuals. For an in-depth analysis, the individuals are grouped according to the gender of the head of household and the stratum. Then, we calculate income inequalities within a group and between groups. Within a group, inequalities are attributed to differences in effort between individuals and inequalities between groups are attributed to differences in circumstances and are called inequalities of opportunity. Findings show that the incidence of inequality of opportunity in income inequality is 11.85% when considering the head of household, when looking at the sex of the head of household, it is 9.86% for women and 11.85% for men. Ensuring equal access to education for everyone in society would be an important public policy measure to reduce inequality of opportunity. JEL Classification Codes: D63 ; D31 ; J62