October, 2009

Real and Perceived Inequality

by Lane Kenworthy
The Conversation
October 29th, 2009

John Nye suggests that innovation and productivity improvements tend, paradoxically, to reduce the actual degree of material inequality but to increase perceived material inequality. Goods such as food, clothing, housing, cars, televisions, and many others come to be produced ever less expensively. As this happens, more people can afford to purchase them. This reduces material [...]

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Brief correction on income inequality data

by Lane Kenworthy
The Conversation
October 28th, 2009

John Nye says measured income inequality would not be reduced by the types of redistributive policies that I (and Elizabeth Anderson) have been discussing. He seems to think neither government transfers nor taxes are included in the data used to measure inequality. It’s true that the Gini coefficients published by the Census Bureau in its [...]

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