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Combating Inequality: Rethinking Government's Role
Leading economists and policymakers consider what economic tools are most effective in reversing the rise in inequality.
Economic inequality is the defining issue of our time. In the United States, the wealth share of the top 1% has risen from 25% in the late 1970s to around 40% today. The percentage of children earning more than their parents has fallen from 90% in the 1940s to around 50% today. In Combating Inequality , leading economists, many of them current or former policymakers, bring good we have the tools to reverse the rise in inequality. In their discussions, they consider which of these tools are the most effective at doing so.
Economic inequality is the defining issue of our time. In the United States, the wealth share of the top 1% has risen from 25% in the late 1970s to around 40% today. The percentage of children earning more than their parents has fallen from 90% in the 1940s to around 50% today. In Combating Inequality , leading economists, many of them current or former policymakers, bring good we have the tools to reverse the rise in inequality. In their discussions, they consider which of these tools are the most effective at doing so.
312 pages, Hardcover
Published February 2, 2021
About the author
Olivier J. Blanchard
57 books58 followersOlivier Jean Blanchard is currently the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, a post he has held since September 1, 2008. He is also the Class of 1941 Professor of Economics at MIT, though he is currently on leave. Blanchard is one of the most cited economists in the world, according to IDEAS/RePEc.
Blanchard earned his Ph.D. in Economics in 1977 at MIT. He taught at Harvard University between 1977 and 1983, after which he returned to MIT as a professor. Between 1998 and 2003 Blanchard served as the Chairman of the Economics Department at MIT. He is also an advisor for the Federal Reserve Banks of Boston (since 1995) and New York (since 2004).
Blanchard has published numerous research papers in the field of macroeconomics, as well as undergraduate and graduate macroeconomics textbooks (including his extremely popular Macroeconomics).
Blanchard earned his Ph.D. in Economics in 1977 at MIT. He taught at Harvard University between 1977 and 1983, after which he returned to MIT as a professor. Between 1998 and 2003 Blanchard served as the Chairman of the Economics Department at MIT. He is also an advisor for the Federal Reserve Banks of Boston (since 1995) and New York (since 2004).
Blanchard has published numerous research papers in the field of macroeconomics, as well as undergraduate and graduate macroeconomics textbooks (including his extremely popular Macroeconomics).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 9, 2023
در کتاب «مبارزه با نابرابری» تعدادی از اقتصاددانان برجسته، ساز و کارهای جدید افزایش نابرابری در کشورهای پیشرفته را بررسی کردهاند و راهکارهای سیاستی مناسبی برای آن پیشنهاد دادهاند.
June 21, 2021
This is a collection of very short essays, but the brevity is a flaw: none of the pieces have the room to explore the issues they discuss with much depth or nuance. It is a good way to get a whirlwind tour of different ideas about the causes behind the rise in inequality and what can be done about it; but don't expect to come away with many well-developed insights. The pieces were of pretty uneven quality, but many contained interesting policy proposals I would like to look more into (i.e. greater unions, labor corporate ownership, job guarantee, and many others. A few of my favorite bits were:
-the content on the wealth tax, with pro arguments from Saez and Zucman and con arguments from Summers and Kopczuk. The book doesn't have the space for me to feel like I actually know which side is right (I lean con) with much confidence, but I enjoyed the discussion, particularly Kopczuk's support for VAT in the US.
-the two pieces on the "China Shock"-- I found the comparison between the US and Germany very helpful. I'm not sure how feasible the German model of skill retraining is for the US, but I was not familiar with the German success story before this.
-Philipe Aighon's piece on "Innovation and Inequality," which included what I believe to be a hugely important statistic about the relative advantage in innovation in US locales with greater inequality. The book has a lot of discussion of the causes of greater US inequality compared to the EU, but I think a, if not the, critical element of the comparison is how much the US advantage in innovation is attributable to differences in inequality. I really am not sure of the answer to this question, but would have liked to see more discussion of it than just the Aighon piece (which was great).
-the few different pieces on the best ways to expand the social safety net, especially Jason Furman's. Furman's emphasis on the dual goals of expanding the US safety net to include even greater child support and greater protection for the non-working poor seem right to me. Furman does his usually fantastic job of presenting what feels like the most relevant evidence on the question at hand.
-the content on the wealth tax, with pro arguments from Saez and Zucman and con arguments from Summers and Kopczuk. The book doesn't have the space for me to feel like I actually know which side is right (I lean con) with much confidence, but I enjoyed the discussion, particularly Kopczuk's support for VAT in the US.
-the two pieces on the "China Shock"-- I found the comparison between the US and Germany very helpful. I'm not sure how feasible the German model of skill retraining is for the US, but I was not familiar with the German success story before this.
-Philipe Aighon's piece on "Innovation and Inequality," which included what I believe to be a hugely important statistic about the relative advantage in innovation in US locales with greater inequality. The book has a lot of discussion of the causes of greater US inequality compared to the EU, but I think a, if not the, critical element of the comparison is how much the US advantage in innovation is attributable to differences in inequality. I really am not sure of the answer to this question, but would have liked to see more discussion of it than just the Aighon piece (which was great).
-the few different pieces on the best ways to expand the social safety net, especially Jason Furman's. Furman's emphasis on the dual goals of expanding the US safety net to include even greater child support and greater protection for the non-working poor seem right to me. Furman does his usually fantastic job of presenting what feels like the most relevant evidence on the question at hand.
June 26, 2021
Many, but not all, agree the global economy has grown more unequal with respect to both income and wealth within countries over the past decades. Fewer agree on whether this is a good or bad thing for growth and welfare. When government intervention is necessary, an even smaller number concur on the policy choices. When we add in identity politics, political polarization, and the usual inertia in governing, there should be little surprise that redistribution, human capital building, social safety net, and other policy action have gained little traction.
This collection of essays, expertly edited by Olivier Blanchard and Dani Rodrik, explores a wide range of relevant topics/questions fundamental to an understanding of the nature of the challenges and the efficacy of necessary (yes, necessary!!) policy responses to combatting this source of social corrosion in contemporary life.
A very worthwhile read!!
This collection of essays, expertly edited by Olivier Blanchard and Dani Rodrik, explores a wide range of relevant topics/questions fundamental to an understanding of the nature of the challenges and the efficacy of necessary (yes, necessary!!) policy responses to combatting this source of social corrosion in contemporary life.
A very worthwhile read!!
May 11, 2022
The wealth tax arguments were probably most interesting, but I found a lot of the other arguments a repetition of commonly debated topics in the news. This all might just speak to a particular knowledge gap I had prior to reading the book. Overall it was nice to get a overview of the various dimensions in which research has broached the subject of inequality.
March 27, 2021
Il libro è una raccolta di saggi scritto da un ampio gruppo di economisti e ricercatori. Come ogni raccolta soffre di una qualche disomogeneità e incoerenza. Ma fornisce una serie di stimoli e di spunti di riflessione di grandissimo livello. Sarebbe utile per il depresso dibattito politico del nostro paese.
January 29, 2022
A complete review of one of the hot topics of modern economics. Nevertheless, some chapters fail in justify its proposes, some authors contribute with few evidence and the review of the empirical link betweek inequality and growth is disappointing. Even so, Blanchard and Rodrik's work has been huge.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews