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Inequality in America: Facts, Trends and International Perspectives
Book

Inequality in America: Facts, Trends and International Perspectives

Tackling the worst effects of inequality requires increased investment in crucial public goods, including education, a more progressive and simplified tax system, and increased international cooperation to avoid a race to the bottom.

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By Uri Dadush, Kemal Dervis, Sarah Puritz Milsom, Bennett Stancil
Published on Jul 10, 2012

Source: Brookings Institution Press, 2012

A bedrock American principle is the idea that all individuals should have the opportunity to succeed on the basis of their own effort, skill, and ingenuity.—Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke

Income inequality has been on the rise since the late 1970s, but the economic and financial crisis of 2008 instigated an unemployment epidemic that dramatically compounded this problem in the United States and catapulted the issue to the center of debate. There is wide agreement across the political spectrum that high inequality is contributing to undesirable circumstances such as stagnant household income, rising poverty rates, and increased borrowing and debt, though there is much less agreement on remedies.

Inequality in America provides a snapshot of the issues posed by the growing concentrations of income, focusing on the United States but drawing on international comparisons to help set the context. The authors examine the economic, technological, and political drivers of inequality and identify worrying trends associated with its rise. They demonstrate how specific factors have exacerbated income inequality, including technological change, international trade, changes in labor market participation, and the increasing role of the financial sector. Their clear and concise exposition makes the issues surrounding income distribution accessible to a wider public.

As they write in the conclusion: “We have argued that tackling the worst effects of inequality and re-establishing a measure of equal opportunity requires increased investment in crucial public goods: first, education; second, a more progressive and simplified tax system; and third, increased international cooperation to avoid a race to the bottom. Education, tax, and other such policies are pursued by other highperforming advanced countries and can be shaped for the United States in a way that is fully consistent with an efficient and competitive American economy.”

This book was published by the Brookings Institution.

About the Authors

Uri Dadush

Former Senior Associate, International Economics Program

Dadush was a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He focuses on trends in the global economy and is currently tracking developments in the eurozone crisis.

Kemal Dervis

Sarah Puritz Milsom

Bennett Stancil

Former Research Assistant, International Economics Program

Authors

Uri Dadush
Former Senior Associate, International Economics Program
Uri Dadush
Kemal Dervis
Sarah Puritz Milsom
Bennett Stancil
Former Research Assistant, International Economics Program
North AmericaUnited StatesEconomy

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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