Given the inherent limitation of these data, other indicators of the size and progressivity of taxes and transfers are presented to investigate the characteristics of specific tax and benefit schemes. A cluster analysis of 15 carefully selected policy indicators, capturing the progressivity, size and mix of taxes and benefits, is then implemented to identify groups of OECD countries sharing common redistributive approaches. Inequality in income after taxes and transfers, as measured by the Gini index, was about 25% lower than for income be/ore taxes and transfers on average in the OECD area in the late 2000s.2 For the same period, poverty measured after taxes and transfers was 55% lower than before taxes and transfers for the OECD average.