Escobal, J. y Ponce, C. (2012). Polarización y segregación en la distribución del ingreso en el Perú: trayectorias desiguales (Documentos de Investigación N° 62). Lima: GRADE.

Based on estimates of per capita expenditure growth, poverty and inequality for 1981, 1993 and 2007, the study finds that while inequality in per capita expenditure between individuals (measured by the Gini or Theil coefficients) shows a slight downward trend, inequalities between groups (associated with desegregation and polarisation processes and linked in the literature to greater social conflict) have been exacerbated. In particular, there is a long-term trend towards spatial segregation and polarisation in favour of large cities as opposed to the dynamics of small towns and villages. This trend towards increasing spatial polarisation goes hand in hand with increasing polarisation between indigenous and non-indigenous groups. However, a similar trend is not observed between groups with different levels of education.