This paper examines urban-rural welfare inequality in Tunisia. Founded on the recentred influence function and quantile regression based counterfactual decomposition, we dissect the gap between the two areas. Results of the present study suggest that the difference between rural poor households and urban poor households is due essentially to characteristic effects; while for wealthier households both characteristic and returns to these characteristic effects (for example, efficiency of educational system) are responsible for this gap. Additionally, the results demonstrate that this is an issue of value, and, more specifically, an economic development fairness conflict. It is suggested that policymakers should address a positive discrimination programme in favour of the marginalized region.Ã Amal Jmaii (corresponding author), Tunisia, as a developing country, has implemented since the early years of statehood, several national programmes to reduce poverty and regional disparities. The country has indeed shown some progress in many areas. The per capita income has risen, public services have developed, health indicators have improved and the demographic trends have been favourable. In fact, the Semi-parametric Regression-based Decomposition Methods
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