The income gap between men and women in China is growing partly because of gender inequality, particularly in the job market, according to a survey. In 2010, urban women’s income was 67.3 percent that of men’s and rural women’s income was 56 percent that of their male counterparts, the survey found. The ratios were 77.5 … Continue reading
Income inequality has been rising in the US for almost four decades. President Obama plans to increase taxes on those with high incomes while Governor Romney is against such “class warfare”. John Van Reenen argues that a better focus would be on restoring America’s place as a world leader in public education and thereby tackling … Continue reading
“The China’s income gap becomes an increasingly serious problem at the present stage” write Lei SUN and Ying-jun SUN in Analysis on China’s Income Distribution at the Present Stage. (Chosen excepts by JMM to follow) It appears not only between the urban and rural residents, but also among different fields, different areas and so on. The … Continue reading
On September 12, 2012, the Census issued its report on Income, Poverty, and Healthcare Coverage in the United States: 2011. While the full report has some nice charts, one that was conspicuously missing was on income inequality. The data for such a chart was in the tables, and so I was able to construct the … Continue reading
This report updates National Employment Law Project’s previous analyses of job loss and job growth trends during and after the Great Recession. The authors find that during the recession (2008 Q1 to 2010 Q1), employment losses occurred throughout the economy, but were concentrated in mid-wage occupations. By contrast, during the recovery (2010 Q1 to 2012 … Continue reading
The growing public debt in many nations has brought fiscal rebalancing to the top of policy agendas. This means raising taxes, or cutting expenditure. Recent US experience in the US and other nations suggest the presence of structural factors accounting for resistance to tax reforms.
‘Although job creation has improved and the unemployment rate has come down from a high of 10.0% in October 2009, the effects of the recession on the labour market remain‘ writes, unsurprirsingly the OECD in Economic Survey of the United States 2012. (Adapted excerpts by JMM)
If you’re plugged into the Internet, chances are you’ve seen a TED talk – the wonky, provocative web videos that have become a sort of nerd franchise. TED.com is where you go to find Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg explaining why the world has too few female leaders, or Twitter cofounder Evan Williams sharing the secret … Continue reading
The economic framework that has recently defined our politics should be replaced by a new narrative writes William A. Galston, one that runs as follows: In recent decades, changes in the structure of our economy and politics have created a dramatic increase in income inequality; while changes in our tax code did not contribute materially … Continue reading
Question: where would the richest household in the bottom 98 percent-the one at the “98th percentile”-end up? With $350,000, it only would be on the 93rd floor-three-fifths of the way up the building, and 67 floors below the household at the 99th percentile. The household at the 90th percentile would only be on the 35th … Continue reading
Social scientists and philosophers have been concerned with issues surrounding the distribution of income or income inequality for over 200 years—the economist and philosopher Adam Smith discussed these issues as early as 1776. Academic writers have been writing on income inequality measurement issues for at least a century. Policy makers have also long been interested … Continue reading
So, does inequality hurt growth? Some economists have said “absolutely,” and others have said “absolutely not.” Here’s a serving of both view points. OBAMA IS RIGHT “Inequality is harmful for growth.” Inequality can lead to recessions. OBAMA IS WRONG “Little overall relation between income inequality and rates of growth and investment.” Marketization, not inequality, is … Continue reading
A new Harris Poll examines the issue of inequality and whether or not it has potential traction in the presidential and congressional elections this fall. The results show that it could well be an important issue because a majority of Americans believe that inequality is a “major problem” and that it is important “that the … Continue reading
The socioeconomic status of a child’s parents has always been one of the strongest predictors of the child’s academic achievement and educational attainment… Students in the bottom quintile of family socioeconomic status score more than a standard deviation below those in the top quintile on standardized tests of math and reading when they enter kindergarten… These differences … Continue reading
“The labor market has been creating much more inequality over the last thirty years, with the very top earners capturing a large fraction of macroeconomic productivity gains. A number of factors may help explain this increase in inequality, not only underlying technological changes but also the retreat of institutions developed during the New Deal and World War II – … Continue reading