The Export Diversification Effects on Income Inequality: New Evidence from Countries with High and Low Political Risk

Export diversification is a preventive measure against trade shocks, which is defined as an increase in the number of export goods and a decrease in a country's dependence on a single source for exports, and it can help macroeconomic stability. This index is an essential aspect of the development process not only for rentier governments but also for all countries, which can affect income inequality in various ways. Therefore, the study tries to investigate the effect of export diversity on income inequality and the impacts of political risk on the interaction between these two variables, in 81 countries with high and low political risk using the panel quantile model with fixed effects during the years 2000-2019. The results show that export diversity increases income inequality in both groups of countries under investigation. However, export diversification effects on income inequality is greater in countries with high political risk. Therefore, in these countries, the more skilled labor has been used to compensate for the diversification costs and has caused a high wage gap. Industrialization and increasing the degree of trade openness reduce income inequality. Foreign direct investment increases income inequality in both categories of countries. GDP per capita has a non-linear inverse U-shaped effect on income inequality, that Kuznets' hypothesis is confirmed in both categories of countries.