Income inequality

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Image Credit: Medill DC (CC BY 2.0)

Thoughts on Paul Krugman, Ben Bernanke, and a 73% top tax rate

Michael R. Strain | June 5, 2013, 3:33 pm

On his New York Times blog, Paul Krugman claims that “Ben Bernanke endorses a 73 percent tax rate.” “OK, he didn’t actually say that in so many words,” Professor Krugman allows. “But if you follow through on the logic of … read more >

Carpe Diem

Don Boudreaux on income inequality and the minimum wage

Mark J. Perry | May 5, 2013, 8:29 am

Don Boudreaux has two most excellent back-to-back posts at Cafe Hayek about two important topics: 1) income/wealth inequality and 2) minimum wage legislation, here are some excerpts: 1. Income/wealth inequality. I do not in the least care about income (or … read more >

Carpe Diem

In response to the viral ‘Wealth Inequality in America’ video

Mark J. Perry | March 8, 2013, 5:23 pm

A video titled “Wealth Inequality in America” has gone viral on the Internet, it’s up to almost four million views on YouTube. It’s not clear who produced it, and it’s not clear what solution is being proposed to the “problem” of wealth inequality identified in the … read more >

Politics and Public Opinion, Polls

Money talk: Forbes’ billionaire tally

Karlyn Bowman and Andrew Rugg | March 5, 2013, 2:09 pm

Forbes magazine released its annual tally of billionaires this week. Carlos Slim topped the list as the world’s richest man for the fourth year in a row with an estimated worth of $73 billion. Bill Gates was number two. Forbes put … read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

Obama fundamentally misunderstands the Reagan-Clinton economic boom

James Pethokoukis | March 5, 2013, 9:42 am

President Obama has made it clear that the pro-market/supply-side shift in US economic policy begun in the late 20th century was a mistake. As he sees it, all it did was increase US income inequality. This was the main theme of … read more >

Pethokoukis, Politics and Public Opinion

New study undercuts Obama’s income inequality argument

James Pethokoukis | January 7, 2013, 3:18 pm

Washington’s tax hike on wealthier Americans won’t accelerate economic growth, won’t create jobs, and won’t lower the debt by more than a rounding error. So what was the point of all that debate about the fiscal cliff? Why did President Obama … read more >

Economics, U.S. Economy

Geography and inequality

Andrew Biggs | January 3, 2013, 11:14 am

In a new paper published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, Enrico Moretti of UC Berkeley finds that much of the increase in income inequality seen in recent decades is offset by changes in the cost of living for … read more >

Pethokoukis

A new Gilded Age? The story about inequality the media aren’t telling you

James Pethokoukis | November 26, 2012, 3:30 pm

Here are the headline findings of a new study on inequality by NYU’s Edward Wolff: I find that median wealth plummeted over the years 2007 to 2010, and by 2010 was at its lowest level since 1969. … Hispanics, in particular, got … read more >

Pethokoukis, Economics, Taxes and Spending

New study shows why heavily taxing the rich won’t work

James Pethokoukis | November 19, 2012, 9:29 am

It’s strange when you think about it. Not only is President Obama pushing the largest round of tax hikes in almost a generation, but those increases would come during the most anemic economic expansion since World War Two — or … read more >

Carpe Diem

Access to the good life for low-income Americans comes from the ‘miracle of the marketplace,’ especially manufacturing

Mark J. Perry | October 26, 2012, 2:31 pm

AEI’s Kevin Hassett and Aparna Mathur wrote in yesterday’s WSJ about how the “access of low-income Americans to devices that are part of the ‘good life’ has increased” over time, here are some examples from their article: 1. The percentage … read more >