Income Inequality

Paul Ryscavage, a noted labor economist, seeks to analyze various aspects of a major contemporary economic problem: the growing inequality of income in society.

What is income inequality? How is it measured? Is the middle class really declining? How does it relate to poverty? How long has inequality been rising in the US? Have there been other periods in history when income differences were as large as they are today? What are the causes of growing income and wage inequality? The author addresses these and other conceptual issues in eight carefully reasoned and clearly presented chapters. Concluding with an analysis and comparison of trends in wage inequality in other developed countries, he asks the final speculative question: How much more growth in inequality can our society withstand?

This interdisciplinary work presents the results of a comprehensive study of the causes and consequences of the rise in family income inequality during the period between 1947 and 1985. By examining the impact of changing industrial and occupational employment, population age structure, household structure, female labor force participation, and government spending on income inequality, the book systematically estimates and compares the influences on the inequality upturn. Strong evidence is presented which argues that the predominant influence on increasing income inequality is the changing economy, which has resulted in increased income at the top of the distribution and reduced income at the bottom.

This book explores the impact of party politics on income redistribution policy in liberal democracies. Rosa Mulé illustrates how public policy on inequality is influenced by strategic interactions among party leaders, applying game theory to detailed case studies of party dynamics. This book provides a comparative in-depth examination of Canada, Australia, Britain and the United States, blending sophisticated quantitative techniques with qualitative, analytic narratives. Mulé evaluates her findings against a broad range of theories, and offers a valuable new perspective to students of public policy and political parties.

Income inequality has risen in the UK, but why? This study describes the trend in inequality since the 1960s and shows how it has been driven by a combination of social changes, economic upheavals, and government policies on taxes and benefits.