The Experience of Economic Redistribution

The Experience of Economic Redistribution PDF

Author: Clarence Tshitereke

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2006-10-09

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1135861935

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This book provides an analysis of the country's political economy in transition. It documents the history of the gold mining industry's involvement in shaping the political landscape of South Africa, and shows the degree to which the political transition was induced to put in place a new mode of regulation for capital accumulation. In the process, the victims of apartheid have now become victims of democracy's neo-liberalism as the government is constrained from being developmental, interventionist and redistributive.

Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth

Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth PDF

Author: Mr.Jonathan David Ostry

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2014-02-17

Total Pages: 30

ISBN-13: 1484397657

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The Fund has recognized in recent years that one cannot separate issues of economic growth and stability on one hand and equality on the other. Indeed, there is a strong case for considering inequality and an inability to sustain economic growth as two sides of the same coin. Central to the Fund’s mandate is providing advice that will enable members’ economies to grow on a sustained basis. But the Fund has rightly been cautious about recommending the use of redistributive policies given that such policies may themselves undercut economic efficiency and the prospects for sustained growth (the so-called “leaky bucket” hypothesis written about by the famous Yale economist Arthur Okun in the 1970s). This SDN follows up the previous SDN on inequality and growth by focusing on the role of redistribution. It finds that, from the perspective of the best available macroeconomic data, there is not a lot of evidence that redistribution has in fact undercut economic growth (except in extreme cases). One should be careful not to assume therefore—as Okun and others have—that there is a big tradeoff between redistribution and growth. The best available macroeconomic data do not support such a conclusion.

The New Economics of Inequality and Redistribution

The New Economics of Inequality and Redistribution PDF

Author: Samuel Bowles

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-07-12

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 1107014034

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Incorporating the latest results from behavioral economics and microeconomic theory, Samuel Bowles argues that conventional economics has mistakenly presented inequality as the price of progress. In place of this view, he offers a novel and optimistic account of the possibility of a more just economy.

Poverty and Inequality

Poverty and Inequality PDF

Author: Jon Raymond Neill

Publisher: W. E. Upjohn Institute

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13:

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Comprises six papers which examine poverty and income distribution in the USA. Includes: economic growth as an effective tool against poverty; U.S. regional poverty and inequality; international comparisons of income distribution; intergenerational relations and intrahousehold allocations; and the effects of redistribution.

Growing Unequal? Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries

Growing Unequal? Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries PDF

Author: OECD

Publisher: OECD Publishing

Published: 2008-10-21

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 9264044191

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This report provides evidence of a fairly generalised increase in income inequality over the past two decades across OECD countries, but the timing, intensity and causes of the increase differ from what is typically suggested in the media.

The New Economics of Inequality and Redistribution

The New Economics of Inequality and Redistribution PDF

Author: Samuel Bowles

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-07-12

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 1139536567

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Economists warn that policies to level the economic playing field come with a hefty price tag. But this so-called 'equality-efficiency trade-off' has proven difficult to document. The data suggest, instead, that the extraordinary levels of economic inequality now experienced in many economies are detrimental to the economy. Moreover, recent economic experiments and other evidence confirm that most citizens are committed to fairness and are willing to sacrifice to help those less fortunate than themselves. Incorporating the latest results from behavioral economics and the new microeconomics of credit and labor markets, Bowles shows that escalating economic disparity is not the unavoidable price of progress. Rather it is policy choice - often a very costly one. Here drawing on his experience both as a policy advisor and an academic economist, he offers an alternative direction, a novel and optimistic account of a more just and better working economy.

The Costs of Inequality in Latin America

The Costs of Inequality in Latin America PDF

Author: Diego Sánchez-Ancochea

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2020-12-10

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1838606254

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From the United States to the United Kingdom and from China to India, growing inequality has led to social discontent and the emergence of populist parties, also contributing to economic crises. We urgently need a better understanding of the roots and costs of these income gaps. The Costs of Inequality draws on the experience of Latin America, one of the most unequal regions of the world, to demonstrate how inequality has hampered economic growth, contributed to a lack of good jobs, weakened democracy, and led to social divisions and mistrust. In turn, low growth, exclusionary politics, violence and social mistrust have reinforced inequality, generating various vicious circles. Latin America thus provides a disturbing image of what the future may hold in other countries if we do not act quickly. It also provides some useful lessons on how to fight income concentration and build more equitable societies.

Inequality and Fiscal Policy

Inequality and Fiscal Policy PDF

Author: Mr.Benedict J. Clements

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2015-09-21

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 1513567756

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The sizeable increase in income inequality experienced in advanced economies and many parts of the world since the 1990s and the severe consequences of the global economic and financial crisis have brought distributional issues to the top of the policy agenda. The challenge for many governments is to address concerns over rising inequality while simultaneously promoting economic efficiency and more robust economic growth. The book delves into this discussion by analyzing fiscal policy and its link with inequality. Fiscal policy is the government’s most powerful tool for addressing inequality. It affects households ‘consumption directly (through taxes and transfers) and indirectly (via incentives for work and production and the provision of public goods and individual services such as education and health). An important message of the book is that growth and equity are not necessarily at odds; with the appropriate mix of policy instruments and careful policy design, countries can in many cases achieve better distributional outcomes and improve economic efficiency. Country studies (on the Netherlands, China, India, Republic of Congo, and Brazil) demonstrate the diversity of challenges across countries and their differing capacity to use fiscal policy for redistribution. The analysis presented in the book builds on and extends work done at the IMF, and also includes contributions from leading academics.

Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality

Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality PDF

Author: Ms.Era Dabla-Norris

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2015-06-15

Total Pages: 39

ISBN-13: 1513547437

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This paper analyzes the extent of income inequality from a global perspective, its drivers, and what to do about it. The drivers of inequality vary widely amongst countries, with some common drivers being the skill premium associated with technical change and globalization, weakening protection for labor, and lack of financial inclusion in developing countries. We find that increasing the income share of the poor and the middle class actually increases growth while a rising income share of the top 20 percent results in lower growth—that is, when the rich get richer, benefits do not trickle down. This suggests that policies need to be country specific but should focus on raising the income share of the poor, and ensuring there is no hollowing out of the middle class. To tackle inequality, financial inclusion is imperative in emerging and developing countries while in advanced economies, policies should focus on raising human capital and skills and making tax systems more progressive.