Ronan Lyons | Personal Website
Ronan Lyons | Personal Website

globalization and inequality

A Rawlsian look at long-term development: another perspective on the Africa puzzle

Long-run data on inequality within and across countries from the 1820s allow a Rawlsian look at the world: how well off are the poorest in society? This post calculates GDP per capita of the poorest 10% of a society for a selection of world regions. This perspective makes Africa’s plight even more baffling, given that its poorest citizens were better off than those of any other developing region up to 1914. Its poorest citizens now are no better off than its poorest citizens then. Read more