European Union Budget Contributions and Expenditures: A Lorenz Curve Approach (original) (raw)

Abstract This article investigates the (in) equality of the European budget with respect to financial contributions and expenditures across Member States. Standard tools from the measurement of income inequality, including the Lorenz curve and the Gini coefficient, are applied to the distribution of European Union contributions and expenditure. In addition, the inequality in the allocation of the budget is juxtaposed against the distribution of voting power within the Council of Ministers. Redistribution from rich to poor members can mainly ...