Growth and distribution: Evidence from a variable-parameter cross-nationaltime-series analysis

This article investigates the impact of industrialization, economic growth, and the unemployment rate on property-income shares in a sample of 21 nati on in four different geopolitical regions over a period of 24 years. This f ocus on the property-income share is motivated by our interest in studying the power of propertied elites in market societies. Following prior theory and research, lye expect the property share to decline with industrializati on but to increase with economic growth and the unemployment rate. To test these expectations, lye estimate a variable-parameter time-series regressio n model on pooled annual data. Findings are consistent with prior expectati ons, but we also find between-country differences in the effects of growth. We urge further research to specify the institutional mechanisms responsib le for observed similarities and differences.