“We find in Xenophon’s Banquet a very lively description of a republic in which the people abused their equality. Each guest gives in his turn the reason why he is satisfied. “Content I am,” says Chamides, “because of my poverty. When I was rich, I was obliged to pay my court to informers, knowing I was more liable to be hurt by them than capable of doing them harm. The republic constantly demanded some new tax of me; and I could not decline paying. Since I have grown poor, I have acquired authority; nobody threatens me; I rather threaten others. I can go or stay where I please. The rich already rise from their seats and give me the way. I am a king, I was before a slave: I paid taxes to the republic, now it maintains me: I am no longer afraid of losing: but I hope to acquire.”” (Book VIII.2)
Price inflation and wage growth in Holland 1950-2002
Table 20: Price inflation and wage growth in Holland 1950-2002
Source: Central Planning Bureau (January 2003)
| Year | % change | % change | 1951=100 | 1951=100 |
| dlog P | dlog wi | P | wi | |
| 1950 | 8.7 | - | 90 | 91 |
| 1951 | 11.1 | 10.4 | 100 | 100 |
| 1952 | 0.3 | 5.4 | 100 | 105 |
| 1953 | -0.7 | 4.2 | 100 | 110 |
| 1954 | 4.0 | 9.2 | 104 | 120 |
| 1955 | 1.7 | 8.9 | 105 | 131 |
| 1956 | 2.1 | 8.6 | 108 | 142 |
| 1957 | 5.5 | 10.8 | 113 | 157 |
| 1958 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 115 | 164 |
| 1959 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 117 | 168 |
| dlog P | dlog wi | P | wi | |
| 1960 | 2.3 | 8.2 | 119 | 182 |
| 1961 | 2.1 | 7.2 | 122 | 195 |
| 1962 | 2.6 | 5.9 | 125 | 206 |
| 1963 | 3.8 | 9.0 | 130 | 225 |
| 1964 | 6.5 | 14.9 | 138 | 258 |
| 1965 | 3.6 | 11.1 | 143 | 287 |
| 1966 | 5.3 | 11. | 151 | 319 |
| 1967 | 2.9 | 8.8 | 155 | 347 |
| 1968 | 2.5 | 8.9 | 159 | 377 |
| 1969 | 6.2 | 13.4 | 169 | 428 |
| 1970 | 4.4 | 12.8 | 176 | 483 |
| 1971 | 7.9 | 13.6 | 190 | 548 |
| 1972 | 8.3 | 12.6 | 206 | 617 |
| 1973 | 8.5 | 15.8 | 223 | 715 |
| 1974 | 9.5 | 15.6 | 245 | 826 |
| 1975 | 10.1 | 12.8 | 269 | 932 |
| 1976 | 9.0 | 10.9 | 293 | 1034 |
| 1977 | 6.1 | 8.7 | 312 | 1124 |
| 1978 | 4.5 | 7.2 | 326 | 1205 |
| 1979 | 4.3 | 6.1 | 340 | 1279 |
| 1980 | 6.9 | 6.1 | 363 | 1357 |
| 1981 | 6.3 | 4.2 | 386 | 1413 |
| 1982 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 407 | 1502 |
| 1983 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 418 | 1559 |
| 1984 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 427 | 1568 |
| 1985 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 436 | 1597 |
| 1986 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 437 | 1630 |
| 1987 | -0.2 | 1.4 | 436 | 1653 |
| 1988 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 439 | 1672 |
| 1989 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 446 | 1685 |
| 1990 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 457 | 1735 |
| 1991 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 471 | 1811 |
| 1992 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 486 | 1886 |
| 1993 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 499 | 1940 |
| 1994 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 512 | 1987 |
| 1995 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 522 | 2013 |
| 1996 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 533 | 2035 |
| 1997 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 545 | 2082 |
| 1998 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 556 | 2165 |
| 1999 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 568 | 2232 |
| 2000 | 2.6 | 5.0 | 583 | 2344 |
| 2001 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 609 | 2455 |
| 2002 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 625 | 2559 |
Income distribution in Holland 1950 and 1988
Rijken van Olst (1969:97) provides the Dutch income distribution for 1950. Here income is measured in Dfl thousands (thousand guilders) of 1950, and the observed frequency concerns males with tax obligations. A Dfl is about 0.5 €.
The Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (1991:47) provides an income distribution for 1988, in Dfl thousands of 1988, and the observed frequency concerns the ‘active’ population with an income, i.e. exclusive of fulltime benefit recipients, but, in this case, also exclusive of independents.
Table 21 contains both distributions. Income class c[i] means that incomes from c[i-1] < c[i] are considered, so that c[i] itself is excluded. With f[c] the frequency observed for class c, we can compute the frequency density as f[c[i] / (c[i] - c[i-1]) or the frequency adjusted for the range concerned.