What Data-Rich Assessments of Socioeconomic Inequality and Mobility in Rich Countries Overlook in Poor Countries

This policy research working paper examines the limitations of conventional approaches to measuring socioeconomic inequality and mobility when applied to low-income countries. The authors argue that methods developed in data-rich settings often fail to capture the informal institutions, unstable livelihoods, weak administrative systems, and multidimensional vulnerabilities common in poorer contexts. The paper highlights conceptual and methodological challenges in assessing inequality and mobility across countries with limited data infrastructure and proposes more context-sensitive approaches for understanding economic opportunity and social stratification in developing economies.