this equality is now usually evaluated by means of a handful of wellestablished income distribution indicators most particularly the gini coefficient and the income shares of the different socioeconomic strata this is not to disregard the fact that these inequalities stem from the distribution of assets and the concentration of power in the hands of elites which are crucial aspects in structuralist explanations of equality the following pages analyse what has happened in the region in terms of income inequality but will also suggest other ways of analysing income distribution that complement and broaden our understanding of resource equality in the region