Income Distribution and Basic Needs in Urban Egypt

This work attempts to estimate and evaluate income distribution in the urban areas of Egypt. It traces the development of the urban economy and the change of its structure over time. Moreover, it attempts to examine the factors responsible for making that structure different from the rest of the economy. The investigation goes on to look in detail at the factors which influence the pattern of income distribution in urban areas. It is particularly concentrated on the provision of basic needs, especially basic services, i.e. education, health, water, electricity, etc. An attempt has been made to evaluate nearly all previous attempts to estimate income dis­tributions in the urban areas of Egypt. Finally, it was attempted to esti­mate the income distribution of urban areas by using a new method, which relies on the pattern of electricity consumption per household as the best indicator which reflects the patterns of income distribution. However, this is not meant to be conclusive in so far as income distribution in urban Egypt is concerned. With this work I intend to provide a basis for further research on income distribution in Egypt