ABSTRACT
Inequality refers to the skewed distribution of valued and scarce resources among people, either individually or organised as groups. Currently, we are especially concerned with the skewed distribution of wealth (assets) and income because these economic inequalities have to do with ‘the fundamental disparity that permits one individual [or group] certain material choices, while denying another individual those very same choices’ (Ray, 1998: 170). Worldwide, the number of people who live in absolute poverty has declined during the most recent era of intense globalisation, and a large new middle class has emerged in Asia. One result of this is that the level of inequality between states has moderated, measured as the distribution of per capita national income, weighted for population size (Milanovic, 2016). In stark contrast, within-country inequality has increased across high-, middle- and low-income states, with dire social, economic and political consequences (Nel, 2008a; Melamed and Samman, 2013; Piketty, 2014; Atkinson, 2015). Africa has not escaped these within-country trends, nor their negative consequences. This contribution reviews the available evidence concerning the level of within-country inequality in Africa, its dynamics, and its consequences. I follow the practice of focusing predominantly on income inequality data, given their availability, but also highlight wealth inequality where appropriate. First, some conceptual distinctions and methodological comments must be made.
