Distant and different? Lockdown and inequalities in Italy

Distant and different? Lockdown and inequalities in Italy

Paolo Brunori, Marisa Luisa Maitino, Letizia Ravagli, Nicola Sciclone

Articolo pubblicato da FrancoAngeli in “ECONOMIA PUBBLICA” 2/2021, pp. 39-54, DOI:10.3280/EP2021-002002

We simulate the short-term effect of two months of lockdown on the Italian income distribution. With a static microsimulation model we show how poverty and inequality were effected by restrictions imposed during Coronavirus outbreak in March and April. We estimate a not negligible increase both in poverty and inequality, effects to a large extent mitigated by stimulus measures implemented by the government. However, we show that adopting alternative social protection approaches would have guaranteed a more universal coverage in particular for households more vulnerable to economic shocks.
Keywords: lockdown, inequality, poverty, social protection
Jel Code: D63, H53

⇒ Leggi anche il Working Paper 1/2021 | ottobre: Distanti e diseguali. Il lockdown e le diseguaglianze in Italia