Research Catalog

Title

Divided we stand : why inequality keeps rising.

Publication

Paris : OECD, ©2011.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Description

386 pages : color illustrations; 28 cm

Summary

In the three decades to the recent economic downturn, wage gaps widened and household income inequality increased in a large majority of OECD countries. This occurred even when countries were going through a period of sustained economic and employment growth. This report analyses the major underlying forces behind these developments. It examines to which extent economic globalisation, skill-biased technological progress and institutional and regulatory reforms have had an impact on the distribution of earnings. The report further provides evidence of how changes in family formation and household structures have altered household earnings and income inequality. And it documents how tax and benefit systems have changed in the ways they redistribute household incomes. The report discusses which policies are most promising to counter increases in inequalities and how the policy mix can be adjusted when public budgets are under strain.

Subjects

• OECD countries > Economic policy
• OECD countries > Economic conditions
• Social ojämlikhet > OECD-länderna
• Inkomstfördelning > OECD-länderna
• Economic policy
• Economic history
• Wage differentials > OECD countries
• Income distribution > OECD countries

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references.

Contents

Machine generated contents note: Overview of Growing Income Inequalities in OECD Countries: Main Findings -- 1. big picture: inequality on the rise in most OECD countries -- 2. What drives growing earnings and income disparities? -- 3. Lessons for policies -- Notes -- References -- Annex A1 Trends in Different Income Inequality Measures -- Special Focus: Inequality in Emerging Economies (EEs) -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Inequality patterns in EEs -- 3. Economic factors behind inequality -- 4. Institutional arrangements shaping redistribution -- 5. Policy challenges for tackling inequality while creating more and better jobs -- Notes -- References -- Annex 0.A1 Main Features of Social Protection Systems in EEs -- pt. I How Globalisation, Technological Change and Policies Affect Wage and Earnings Inequalities -- ch. 1 Trends in Wage Inequality, Economic Globalisation and Labour Market Policies and Institutions -- 1.1. Introduction -- 1.2. Trends in wage dispersion -- 1.3. Globalisation: recent trends in global economic developments -- 1.4. Trends in labour market policies, institutions and regulations -- 1.5. Summary and conclusions -- Notes -- References -- ch. 2 Impact of Economic Globalisation and Changes in Policies and Institutions on Rising Earnings Inequality -- 2.1. Introduction -- 2.2. Effects of economic globalisation, technological change, and changes in policies and institutions on wage inequality -- 2.3. Effects on the top and the bottom of the wage distribution: tail-sensitive analyses -- 2.4. Summary and conclusions -- Notes -- References -- Annex 2.A1 Data Sources and Variables -- Annex 2.A2 Changes in the Skill Wage Gap and the Role of Sectors -- ch. 3 Inequality Between the Employed and the Non-employed -- 3.1. Introduction -- 3.2. Earnings inequality among the whole working-age population -- 3.3. Linking globalisation and developments in policies and institutions to changes in earnings inequality among the working-age population -- 3.4. Globalisation, regulatory reforms and changes in overall earnings inequality: bringing together the evidence -- 3.5. Summary and conclusions -- Notes -- References -- Annex 3.A1 Data for the Analyses in Section 3.2 -- Annex 3.A2 Additional Tables and Figures -- pt. II How Inequalities in Labour Earnings Lead to Inequalities in Household Disposable Income -- ch. 4 Hours Worked, Self-Employment and Joblessness as Ingredients of Earnings Inequality -- 4.1. Introduction -- 4.2. Trends in inequality among full-time workers and all workers -- 4.3. Compositional changes and their impact on trends in earnings inequality -- 4.4. Earnings inequality and joblessness -- 4.5. Summary and conclusions -- Notes -- References -- Annex 4.A1 Additional Tables -- Annex 4.A2 Accounting for the Effect of Joblessness on Earnings Inequality Among the Whole Working-Age Population -- ch. 5 Trends in Household Earnings Inequality: The Role of Changing Family Formation Practices -- 5.1. Introduction -- 5.2. Levels and trends in household earnings inequality -- 5.3. determinants of changes in household earnings inequality: labour market and demographic factors -- 5.4. Explaining changes in household earnings inequality -- 5.5. Summary and conclusions -- Notes -- References -- Annex 5.A1 Additional Tables and Figures -- ch. 6 From Household Earnings to Disposable Household Income Inequality -- 6.1. Introduction -- 6.2. Inequality: trends in the distribution of market and disposable income -- 6.3. How much of inequality is explained by each of the income sources? -- 6.4. Redistributive effects of marginal increases in individual income components -- 6.5. Summary and conclusions -- Notes -- References -- Annex 6.A1 Additional Tables -- pt. III How the Roles of Tax and Transfer Systems Have Changed -- ch. 7 Changes in Redistribution in OECD Countries Over Two Decades -- 7.1. Introduction -- 7.2. Measured changes in redistribution -- 7.3. role of policy reforms -- 7.4. Summary and conclusions -- Notes -- References -- Annex 7.A1 Additional Tables and Figures -- ch. 8 Distributive Impact of Publicly Provided Services -- 8.1. Introduction -- 8.2. Defining public social services -- 8.3. overall distributive impact of publicly provided services on the distribution of income -- 8.4. distributive impact of particular public services -- 8.5. distributive impact of public services over time -- 8.6. Summary and conclusions -- Notes -- References -- Annex 8.A1 How to Account for Publicly Provided Services in Household Income: Conceptual and Methodological Issues -- Annex 8.A2 Additional Tables and Figures -- ch. 9 Trends in Top Incomes and Their Tax Policy Implications -- 9.1. Introduction -- 9.2. Data on top incomes -- 9.3. Trends in the share of top incomes -- 9.4. Explanations of the trends in top incomes -- 9.5. Tax policy implications -- 9.6. Summary and conclusions -- Notes -- References -- Annex 9.A1 Characteristics and Limitations of Income Data from Tax Returns.

ISBN

• 9789264111639
• 9264111638
• 9789264119536 (canceled/invalid)
• 9264119531 (canceled/invalid)

OCLC

• ocn772984095
• 772984095
• SCSB-14260453

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library