Regional differences in income distribution in Poland over time
Regional differences in income distribution in Poland over time

Summary/Abstract: Income inequality in Poland has recently deepened both at the country and the regional level. Consequently, inequality, poverty and social stratification have become important issues of debate among economists, sociologists and social policy-makers. The aim of the study presented in this paper is to identify and evaluate regional differences in income distribution in Poland through a dynamic approach, taking into account changes in the average income level as well as in various parameters of income inequality and poverty. This approach seems particularly interesting because the study period (2012–2021) was characterised by rapid economic growth and the implementation of social programmes, but also economic recession related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The analyses were based on micro-data from the Household Budget Survey (HBS) by Statistics Poland. We used a multiple factor analysis (MFA), which made clustering of regions and the observation of patterns of change over time possible. MFA combined with the parametric approach based on the Dagum model turned out to be a powerful tool to indicate underlying factors that influenced discrepancies in income distribution between regions in Poland. The results of calculations confirmed significant differences both between regions and over time, and cluster analysis singled out five clusters of voivodships with similar income distributions.

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