Who are the poor in Malaysia?: sensitivity to measurement of income

Michael W. Kusnic, Julie DaVanzo

ResearchPublished 1981

Income inequality and ethnic differences in income are important political issues in Malaysia. This paper uses 1976-1977 data on over 1,000 households in Peninsular Malaysia to show that estimates of the extent of income inequality and of the relative incidence of poverty are sensitive to several dimensions of income measurement. For example, when the definition of income is broadened to include nonmarket sources of well-being, inequality falls and the relative position of rural Malays improves. However, standardizing to remove variations in hours of work increases estimates of the proportion of rural Malays who are poor.

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  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 1981
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 38
  • Paperback Price: $20.00
  • Document Number: P-6719

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RAND Style Manual
Kusnic, Michael W. and Julie DaVanzo, Who are the poor in Malaysia?: sensitivity to measurement of income, RAND Corporation, P-6719, 1981. As of September 11, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6719.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Kusnic, Michael W. and Julie DaVanzo, Who are the poor in Malaysia?: sensitivity to measurement of income. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1981. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6719.html. Also available in print form.
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