inequality

Analysis finds real wages fell 12% since 2019, with inequality widening in the US beyond global levels CEO pay increased 20 times faster than worker pay around the world in 2025, according to a new analysis from Oxfam and the International Trade Union Confederation, the world’s largest trade union federation. When adjusted for inflation , global worker pay declined 12% between 2019 and 2025, the …

There is no justification for a regressive system in which the super-rich contribute less than the rest of us Today, we have more income and wealth inequality than ever before. New York City’s average household income is $131,000 . Without extreme inequality, residents could live reasonably well. Instead, a few people at the top of the income ladder capture enormous wealth, while millions of othe…

By Karen Sternheimer If you are or were once a student attending college, have you ever thought about how that happened? The short answer might be you studied and worked hard in high school, and maybe built up your resume to include application-worthy items for admission (Leadership! Philanthropy! Involvement in sports/arts/extracurriculars!). These are, of course, … Continue reading Becoming a C…

The Gini coefficient, a.k.a. Gini index, of a set of numbers is the average of all differences divided by twice the mean. Specifically, let Then the Gini coefficient of x is defined to be where μ is the mean of the set. The Gini coefficient is often used in economics to measure inequalities in wealth. […] The post Inequalities for inequality: Gini coefficient lower bounds first appeared on John D…

Access to credit plays a central role in shaping economic opportunities of households and businesses. Access to credit also plays a crucial role in helping an economy successfully exit from the pandemic doldrums. The ability to get a loan may allow individuals to purchase a home, invest in education and training, or start and then expand a business. Hence access to credit has important implicatio…

By Enrico Botta, OECD Environment Directorate Over the past decade, inequalities in income and opportunities have increased. The income of the top 10% is over ten times larger than the bottom 10% while traditional opportunities for social mobility have withered. While official income inequality...

One of the many heartbreaks of the pandemic has been the way many tired and overworked parents have to watch their children fall behind academically. Emily Veloza has witnessed the so-called "COVID slide" firsthand. Her daughter Olivia was a middle-of-the-road student who used to be generally enthusiastic about school. Since the pandemic, her grades and her motivation have slipped. The post The C…

Over the past 50 years, the highest-earning 20% of U.S. households have steadily brought in a larger share of the country’s total income.

Contexts has a whole issue debating various aspects of inequality. For example, Louise Seamster has a great article on racial difference in inequality. Sample quote: Despite predictions that the racial wealth gap would gradually decrease, the gap doubled in the five years of the Great Recession. Going back further, wealth researchers Thomas Shapiro, Tatjana Meschede, […]

On September 23rd, the Vancouver School of Economics at the University of British Columbia welcomed Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz to participate in a panel discussion on Inequality in North America. Stiglitz, and fellow panelists Nicole Fortin, Craig Riddell, Thomas Lemieux and David Green, provided a truthful and informative account of the causes and consequences of […]

A recording of a recent panel at Harvard's Kennedy School, including my economics department colleagues Larry Katz and Ed Glaeser. It takes over a hour.

From Boy, Have We Got an Inequality Problem: "After-tax income of the bottom 20% grew 6%, or $1,800 over these years (1979-2005, in 2005 dollars) ; the middle-class gained $11,000, up 21%, over these 26 years. The average income of the top 1%, more than tripled, up 228%, for a gain $781,000."