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"We revisit to what extent the increase in income inequality over the last 30 years has been mirrored by consumption inequality. We do so by constructing two alternative measures of consumption expenditure, using data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE). We first use reports of active savings and after tax income to construct the measure of consumption implied by the budget constraint. We find that the consumption inequality implied by savings behavior largely tracks income inequality between 1980 and 2007. Second, we use a demand system to correct for systematic measurement error in the CE's expenditure data. Specifically, we consider trends in the relative expenditure of high income and low income households for different goods with different income (total expenditure) elasticities. Our estimation exploits the difference in the growth rate of luxury consumption inequality versus necessity consumption inequality. This "double-differencing,'' which we implement in a a regression framework, corrects for mis-measurement that can systematically vary over time by good and income group. This second exercise indicates that consumption inequality has closely tracked income inequality over the period 1980-2007. Both of our measures show a significantly greater increase in consumption inequality than what is obtained from the CE's total household expenditure data directly"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site

Social scientists study two kinds of inequality: inequality between persons (as in income inequality) and inequality between subgroups (as in racial inequality). This paper analyzes the mathematical connections between the two kinds of inequality. The paper proceeds by exploring a set of two-parameter continuous probability distributions widely used in economic and sociological applications. We define a general inequality parameter, which governs all measures of personal inequality (such as the Gini coefficient), and we link this parameter to the gap (difference or ratio) between the means of subdistributions. In this way we establish that, at least in the two-parameter distributions analyzed here, and for the case of two nonoverlapping subgroups, as personal inequality increases, so does inequality between subgroups. This general inequality parameter also governs Lorenz dominance. Further, we explore the connection between subgroup inequality (in particular, the ratio of the bottom subgroup mean to the top subgroup mean) and decomposition of personal inequality into between-subgroup and within-subgroup components, focusing on an important decomposable measure, Theil's MLD, and its operation in the Pareto case. This allows us to establish that all the quantities in the decomposition are monotonic functions of the general inequality parameter. Thus, the general inequality parameter captures the deep structureʺ of inequality. We also introduce a whole-distribution graphical tool for assessing personal and subgroup inequality. Substantively, this work suggests that in at least some societies, characterized by special income distributions, whenever inequality disrupts social harmony and social cohesion, it attacks on two fronts, via subgroup inequality as well as personal inequality.

This volume of Research on Economic Inequality contains research on how we measure poverty, inequality and welfare and how these measurements contribute towards policies for social mobility. The volume contains eleven papers, some of which focus on the uneven impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on poverty and welfare.

Contents -- Contributors -- Acknowledgments -- Part I: Introduction: Foundations of a Prismatic Metropolis -- Chapter 1: Analyzing Inequality in Los Angeles // Lawrence D. Bobo, Melvin L. Oliver, James H. Johnson Jr., and Abel Valenzuela Jr. -- Chapter 2: A Demographic Portrait of Los Angeles County, 1970 to 1990 // David M. Grant -- Chapter 3: Racial Attitudes in a Prismatic Metropolis: Mapping Identity, Stereotypes, Competition, and Views on Affirmative Action // Lawrence D. Bobo and Devon Johnson -- Part II: Opportunities Divided: Race, Space, and Gender in Los Angeles

At the global level, inequality has declined substantially over the past three decades, but within national boundaries, the picture is mixed: some countries have experienced a reduction in inequality while others, particularly advanced economies, have seen a significant increase that has, among other things, contributed to growing public backlash against globalization. Excessive levels of inequality can erode social cohesion, lead to political polarization, and ultimately lower economic growth, but whether inequality is excessive depends on country-specific factors, including the growth context in which inequality arises, along with societal preferences. This Fiscal Monitor focuses on how fiscal policy can help governments address high levels of inequality while minimizing potential trade-offs between efficiency and equity. It documents recent trends in income inequality, including inequality both between and within countries, then examines the redistributive role of fiscal policies over recent decades and underscores the importance of appropriate design to minimize any efficiency costs. It then focuses on some key components of fiscal redistribution: progressivity of income taxation, universal basic income, and public spending policies for achieving more equitable education and health outcomes. The analysis relies on the existing theoretical and empirical literature, IMF work on inequality and fiscal policy, country experiences, and new analytical work, including various static microsimulation analyses based on household survey data. Simulations using a dynamic general equilibrium model calibrated to country-specific data and behavioral parameters illustrate the potential impact of alternative budget-neutral tax and transfer measures on income inequality and economic growth

What do we mean by inequality comparisons? If the rich just get richer and the poor get poorer, the answer might seem easy. But what if the income distribution changes in a complicated way? Can we use mathematical or statistical techniques to simplify the comparison problem in a way that has economic meaning? What does it mean to measure inequality? Is it similar to National Income? Or a price index? Is it enough just to work out the Gini coefficient?Measuring Inequality tackles these questions and examines the underlying principles of inequality measurement and its relation to welfare economi

Economic inequality is one of the most divisive issues of our time. Yet few would argue that inequality is a greater evil than poverty. The poor suffer because they don't have enough, not because others have more, and some have far too much. So why do many people appear to be more distressed by the rich than by the poor?In this provocative book, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of On Bullshit presents a compelling and unsettling response to those who believe that the goal of social justice should be economic equality or less inequality. Harry Frankfurt, one of the most influential moral philosophers in the world, argues that we are morally obligated to eliminate poverty-not achieve equality or reduce inequality. Our focus should be on making sure everyone has a sufficient amount to live a decent life. To focus instead on inequality is distracting and alienating.At the same time, Frankfurt argues that the conjunction of vast wealth and poverty is offensive. If we dedicate ourselves to making sure everyone has enough, we may reduce inequality as a side effect. But it's essential to see that the ultimate goal of justice is to end poverty, not inequality.A serious challenge to cherished beliefs on both the political left and right, On Inequality promises to have a profound impact on one of the great debates of our time

PDFs, CDFs, quantile functions, and Lorenz curves -- Summary inequality measures -- Choices of inequality measures -- Relative distribution methods -- Inference issues -- Analyzing inequality trends -- An illustrative application: inequality in income and wealth in the United States, 1991-2001

Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- 1 Background and History -- Introduction -- Men and Women -- Female and Male -- Matriarchy and Patriarchy -- No Matriarchal Societies? -- Why Paternity? -- Subordination of Women -- Legal Restrictions -- Always Male Privilege? -- Opposing Voices -- Cross-Dressing -- The Rise of Feminism -- The Woman's Rights Movement in the United States: 19th Century -- Aftermath of the Seneca Falls Convention -- Women's Rights Organizations -- Legislative Campaigns -- The Lost Constituency -- The Battle Continues -- The Progressive Era -- The Woman's Movement in the United States, 1920-1960 -- The Second Wave of Feminism -- Third Wave Feminism -- A Fourth Wave of Feminism? -- Conclusion -- References -- 2 Problems, Controversies, and Solutions -- Introduction -- The Equal Rights Amendment -- Biology as Destiny -- Education -- Politics -- The Workplace and Pay Inequities -- Solutions -- Women in Business: The Glass Ceiling and Glass Cliff -- The Pay Gap -- Gender Inequality in the Professions -- Gender Inequality in Sports -- Sexual Harassment -- Gender Inequality Today -- Men's Movement -- References -- 3 Perspectives -- Introduction -- Who's Disadvantaged? -- Reference -- It's Time to Fix STEM -- References -- Teaching Sex Education in Zambia Changed My Perspective of Feminism -- References -- Gender Inequality in Medical Research -- References -- Beyond Gender Equality: Creating Equity for People of All Genders -- References -- The Impact of Mentoring -- References -- We Need a Reset -- References -- Intersectionality: A Brief History -- References -- Micro-Level Gender Inequality: A Transgender Man's Perspective -- References -- Gender Equity: We're All in This Together -- 4 Profiles -- Introduction -- Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) -- Margaret Brent (ca. 1601-ca. 1671).

INCOME INEQUALITY: AN ALARMING U.S. TREND -- INCOME INEQUALITY: AN ALARMING U.S. TREND -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1 TRENDS IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME BETWEEN 1979 AND 2007 -- NOTES AND DEFINITIONS -- PREFACE -- SUMMARY -- Increased Concentration of Market Income -- Income at the Very Top of the Distribution -- The Role of Government Transfers and Federal Taxes -- Increased Concentration of after-Tax Income -- TRENDS IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME BETWEEN 1979 AND 2007 -- Introduction -- CBO's Analysis -- Increased Dispersion of Households' after-Tax Income

Cover -- Half Title -- Series Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- Acknowledgments -- List of contributors -- List of abbreviations -- 1. Introduction -- SECTION I: Inequality and its impact -- 2. Poverty, inequality, growth, and empowerment: Reflections on a continuing debate -- 3. Oral health and inequality: Evidence from a Zambian household survey -- 4. The distributional impact of public health subsidies in a tax-based, resource-constrained health system: Experiences from Zambia -- 5. "All of the problems of poverty are brought because of being disabled": Particularities of poverty experienced by persons with disabilities in Western Province -- SECTION II: Measuring poverty and inequality -- 6. Economic growth, inequality, and poverty: Estimating the growth elasticity of poverty in Zambia, 2006-2015 -- 7. Understanding growth-income inequality interactions in Zambia -- SECTION III: On the margins: Trade, investment, and inequality -- 8. Tariffs and intranational retail price dispersion: Evidence from Zambia -- 9. Is South Africa's trade hegemony a critical inequality challenge for Zambia and the rest of the Southern Africa development community? -- SECTION IV: Inequality in access to justice -- 10. Customary law in Zambia's new constitutional dispensation: A tale of lost opportunities -- 11. Information inequity: Access to legal information in Zambia and Southern Africa -- Index.

Income inequality has become a global phenomenon. Rapid technological advancement and an expanding global workforce will continue to place huge pressure on wages all over the world, including Singapore. This edited volume is the product of the robust exchanges that took place in a series of closed-door discussions (CDDs) on inequality that the Institute of Policy Studies organised in the first half of 2012. The essays provide a range of views on the multi-faceted nature of inequality in Singapore, discuss candidly the specific challenges we face, and offer some policy recommendations

Herbert Schiller, long one of America's leading critics of the communications industry, here offers a salvo in the battle over information. In Information Inequality he explains how privatization and the corporate economy directly affect our most highly prized democratic institutions: schools and libraries, media, and political culture. A master media-watcher, Schiller presents a crisp and far-reaching indictment of the ""data deprivation"" corporate interests are inflicting on the social fabric