On data: a case study of the evolution of income inequality across time and across countries
以收入分配为例，探讨数据在经济学中的作用，指出收入不平等估计的可比性因方法论差异而存疑，并揭示时间序列中的不连续性可能严重影响回归结果，呼吁应用经济学重视数据质量。
This paper takes income distribution as a case study of the role of data in economics. After describing the transformation which has taken place with regard to the availability of data on income inequality, it discusses how the comparability of these estimates is brought into question by differences in methodology that cannot be eliminated by simple adjustments. Recent analyses of the relationships between income inequality and growth or globalisation are shown to be based on time series plagued by discontinuities which can seriously affect regression results. The paper concludes by calling for greater attention to data quality in applied economics.