Response to Professor Stephen Jenkins’ comments on the World Income Inequality Database (WIID)

Professor Stephen Jenkins (this issue) has conducted an extremely careful and insightful analysis of two datasets, WIID and SWIID. In this short response, we focus on his review of the WIID, maintained and published by UNU-WIDER in agreement with the World Bank. We wish to highlight at the outset that we are very grateful for Professor Jenkins’ expert advice and suggestions; and note that the WIID has over the past couple of years been developed in the direction recommended in the appraisal. This response provides, first, some background to the development and basic philosophy of the WIID, with particular attention to data comparability and proper documentation. We subsequently outline the recent changes made to the database, now available on the internet as the revised version WIID3.0b.1 Finally, we offer some brief concluding remarks.