En analys av den geografiska inkomstojämlikheten i Sverige 1991–2017

Författare

  • Matz Dahlberg
  • Sebastian Kohl
  • Che-Yuan Liang

Abstract

An Analysis of the Geographic Income Inequality in Sweden 1991–2017 This article studies the income polarisation between urban and rural areas in Sweden and how this polarisation has changed between 1991 and 2017. Using individual-level data covering the entire population over the entire period, we find that income differences are mainly driven by differences between municipalities with varying degrees of urbanisation rather than differences between urban and rural areas within municipalities. Rural municipalities have lower incomes than the more urban municipalities, and the income gap has increased over time. A higher degree of urbanisation in the municipality is associated with higher incomes and better income development in both the more urban parts of the municipality and its rural areas. When we compare the income development between urban and rural areas within municipalities, we find that while income levels were indeed lower in rural areas in 1991, the entire gap had been closed by 2017. The findings suggest that studies about the urban-rural cleavage lines are geography-sensitive, and that equalising policies should aim for differences between regions and municipalities rather than differences within municipalities.

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Publicerad

2025-01-19