Updates and enhancements to the LIS and LWS databases underway

LIS has temporarily paused the addition of new data during this quarter in preparation of an upcoming update to its LIS and LWS databases. We are pleased to announce that we have been working on several updates and additions to the LIS and LWS databases, aimed at improving data quality and consistency. We appreciate the feedback received from the LIS user community, which contributed to enhancing the variable list to support state-of-the-art research projects. The following sections are concerned.

• Household composition and living arrangements: Several new variables will be added, including i) an additional household type variable, ii) several variables on single parenthood, dependent children, mother/father/partner pointers which will enrich the LIS and LWS databases. These new variables will be accompanied with the restructuring of the living arrangements variables, where variables relation and marital will be slightly updated in the whole databases for ensuring better consistency across datasets.
• Geography: New variables on standardized regions will be introduced to more effectively select datasets complying to the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS); the new variables will refer to the latest version of NUTS1/NUTS2/NUTS3, whenever applicable.
• Labour market variables: Two new variables wage1 (monthly wage, main job) and hwage1 (hourly wage, main job) will replace the variables gross1/net1 in the LIS and LWS databases. This will allow users to more smoothly run analyses on the current job characteristics. A new variable, occc1, will exclusively refer to the ISCO-08 standard, whereas the existing variable, occb1, will refer solely to the ISCO-88 standard.
• Balance Sheet (LWS Database): Several new variables will be added to the balance sheet that will allow users of the LWS data to i) distinguish transaction accounts and cash from saving accounts, ii) distinguish publicly traded stocks from other equity, and iii) analyse separately money owed to household.

The work for this update is currently ongoing and we plan to update the LIS and LWS databases and the relevant documentation including METIS within the next months, so that users can work with the updated data and documentation as soon as possible.

Stay tuned for our exciting database update in the last quarter of 2024!

by Alessandro Nardo, (University of Antwerp)

Today, nearly all European countries have means-tested minimum income schemes (MIS) in place that guarantee a basic level of income support for the least-well off. Only few comparative studies have analysed the profiles of MIS beneficiaries at the micro-level, with even less research focusing on the poor population left without income support. Using micro-data from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) Database for 17 European countries, this article explores the recipiency of last resort means-tested income support.

Full article is available here.

by Francesco Savoia, (University of Milan and University of Bologna, Italy)

The analysis of economic inequality in Egypt has sparked an interesting debate regarding its extent and trends, generating quite a bit of controversy. Rising inequality has been cited as one of the factors behind the uprisings in Arab countries by media and academics. Using the Egyptian ERFLIS data from 1999 to 2017, Francesco Savoia further dissects the moderate and stable national inequality levels by breaking them down to the regional level.

Full article is available here.

by Davide Gritti, (University of Trento)

This article by Davide Gritti explores wealth disparities between migrant and native populations using data from the Luxembourg Wealth Study (LWS). It highlights significant wealth gaps, with migrants generally owning less wealth than natives across 14 countries, particularly in homeownership. The LWS database is emphasized as a valuable tool for analyzing these disparities.

Full article is available here.

by Ella-Marie Assal, (University of Antwerp)

In recent decades, income inequality has been on the rise in many European countries. One potential driver of this trend could be structural changes in the socio-demographic composition of these countries. Many nations have experienced an aging population, significant changes in household formation, and higher levels of educational attainment. In this note, Ella-Marie Assal explores how these socio-demographic changes have impacted income inequality in six continental European countries over a thirty-year period, from 1990 to 2021.

Full article is available here.

(LIS)²ER Research Associate
  lee@lisdatacenter.org
bio

LIS and the UK LIS Satellite Office at the International Inequalities Institute (III) invite scholars working in the field of comparative economic inequality to contribute to the 2nd III/LIS Comparative Economic Inequality Conference on 27-28 February 2025 at the University of Luxembourg.

We invite submissions from scholars at all levels of seniority who are working on comparative economic inequality, broadly interpreted. Topics include (but are not restricted to) new approaches to the measurement of inequalities in income, wealth, or debt; across genders, racialised groups, class, or space. We are particularly interested in papers looking at cross-country differences using LIS/LWS or similar data but are also open to comparative work on inequalities across different socio-demographic or socio-economic groups within countries. Both theoretical and empirical contributions are welcome.

Keynote Speakers

Submissions

Please send a title, abstract and (if available) a complete draft to iii.lis@lisdatacenter.org.

Deadline

The deadline for submissions (working papers or extended abstracts) is September 15, 2024.
The conference organizers will notify all with the decisions after October 15, 2024.

Scientific Committee

H. Xavier Jara (LSE), Teresa Munzi (LIS), Philippe Van Kerm (University of Luxembourg, LIS), Nora Waitkus (LSE).

Questions

For any questions, contact iii.lis@lisdatacenter.org.

Ravi Kanbur, T. H. Lee Professor of World Affairs, International Professor of Applied Economics and Management, and Professor of Economics at Cornell University, presented the LIS Summer Lecture: Predistribution vs Redistribution.

Ravi Kanbur researches and teaches in development economics, public economics and economic theory. He is well known for his role in policy analysis and engagement in international development. He has served on the senior staff of the WB including as Chief Economist for Africa. He has also published in the leading economics journals, including Journal of Political Economy, American Economic Review, Review of Economic Studies, Journal of Economic Theory and Economic Journal.

Research Director
  philippe.vankerm@uni.lu
bio

LIS is pleased to announce the appointment of Philippe Van Kerm as new LIS Research Director starting from June 2024. Philippe will support LIS Director Peter Lanjouw in leading the scientific programme with a view to further expand the LIS activities to facilitate, promote, and conduct cross-national comparative research. Philippe is an economist and a professor in inequality and social policy analysis at the University of Luxembourg’s Department of Social Sciences. He has a vast experience in micro-data analysis on poverty and inequality.

Besides publishing numerous research in peer-reviewed journals, he has been developing software tools that are widely used worldwide for inequality, poverty and welfare analysis. He is well acquainted with the LIS infrastructure and has regularly been teaching poverty and inequality analysis and advanced quantitative methods at the University of Luxembourg and at the LIS Summer Workshop. Philippe’s proven experience in research in inequality and poverty, together with his long-standing knowledge of LIS, will undoubtedly help him advance LIS’ mission and achieve further growth in the future. LIS welcomes him warmly!