Inequality & Distribution

The 2008 financial meltdown wiped out what was left of the savings of millions of American families, but Professor Edward Wolff says decades of income inequality had set the stage for the collapse of their household wealth.

Using a unique dataset provided by the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), we document a direct channel through which financial institutions contribute to the net worth of members of the U.S. Congress, particularly those sitting on the finance committees in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Epstein discusses financial reform, central banking, and how the FED actually contributed to economic inequality.

With the power of modern computing being harnessed into increasingly small and portable devices, what do digital platforms mean for the entrenched global economy?

Business school students are taught to extract resources instead of creating value.

What we’re reading: As the shock of the UK referendum vote to leave the European Union continues to roil, a number of analysts see it as revealing dynamics of which all Western policymakers ought to be aware

An election has failed to resolve a political deadlock that coincides with long-term economic stagnation

What fraction of total economic growth accrues to the top 10%, top 1%, etc.? How does growth per capita of the bottom 90% compare to overall growth? Zucman discusses his research and efforts to bring more hard data into the inequality dialogue.

It would be a tragic mistake to read anti-E.U. sentiment across Europe as simple bigotry — racism and xenophobia are being nurtured by the economic pain produced by prevailing economic policies

Technology will ruin America if we don’t compensate for its impact, warns Andy Stern.

A response to Arjun Jayadev’s argument about the impact of automation on our work and life

What we’re reading: A weekly scan of published items relevant to the Institute’s work

The company’s focus on stock buybacks to increase shareholder value is a reminder of why so much of the value created daily by millions of workers ends up in the hands of the billionaires

Anxiety over human labor being replaced by cyborgs may be in vogue, but it’s overblown — machines may help us achieve healthier and more meaningful lives

What we’re reading: A weekly scan of published items relevant to the Institute’s work