United States Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality (INTERNATIONAL POLICY EXCHANGE SERIES)

Over the past 75 years, household income in the United States has increased substantially. Still, by some measures, income inequality has increased as well. This has been the subject of contested public policy and political discourse. The question still stands: How can we better articulate the nuanced changes in American incomes? It is difficult to have conversations about income inequality without an agreed-upon set of terms, metrics, and concepts. United States Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality , edited by Diana Furchtgott-Roth, examines the trends in income growth in the United States and explores various measures of income, including market, post-tax, and post-transfer income. Within each chapter, distinguished experts explain how income and wealth--and the way we measure them--have changed in the United States, which demographic groups have benefited from these changes, and how mobility has changed over time and over generations. Specific chapters explain the roles of gender and race. The resulting book is relevant to modern international policy, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and addresses what can be done to increase economic mobility in the United States. "Few topics are more certain to generate a lively debate among any group of individuals than the causes and consequences of income inequality. Economists are prone to similar, although more reasoned and empirically based, debates. This book is a curated collection of essays that explore a wide range of viewpoints about income inequality in the United States. Neither income nor income inequality is easily measured and, consequently, economists have different views about what is the best measure. Economists also offer differing explanations for the sources of income inequality and its ultimate consequences, leading to opposing policy implications. Finally, focusing on the United States adds yet another layer of complexity. America has unusually high income and unusually high income inequality"-- Provided by publisher Cover Series United States Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality Copyright Contents About the Authors Introduction and Summary 1 The Ins and Outs of Measuring Income Inequality in the United States 2 Income and Wealth Inequality: Evidence and Policy Implications 3 Improving Economic Opportunity in the United States 4 Income Growth and Its Distribution from Eisenhower to Obama: The Growing Importance of In-​Kind Transfers (1959–​2016) 5 Top Income Shares and the Difficulties of Using Tax Data 6 The Effects of the Movement of Women into the Workforce on Income Trends 7 Explaining Race and Gender Wage Gaps 8 The Distribution of Wealth in America (1983–​2013) 9 Public Opinion on Inequality 10 The Economics of Inequality in High-​Wage Economies Index United States Trends In Income, Wealth, Consumption, And Well-being Analyzes Economic Trends, Examines Income Inequality, And Discusses What Can Be Done To Increase Economic Mobility Today.