Addressing Health Disparities by Modeling the Determinants of Income Inequality

Abstract

Income inequality is a measure of how unequal a country’s income distribution is in any given year. Although it is generally associated with developing countries, the United States happens to have one of the highest levels of inequality of any industrialized country. While there are many competing theories as to what the primary drivers are, this paper examines some of the key determinants of inequality and further explores its established relationship with health and social problems. By developing a robust ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model, this study can serve as a template for addressing income inequality and reducing health and social problems.