Inequality | Econofact

Are Taxes (And Also Spending) Progressive?

By William G. Gale and Zachary Obstfeld·November 11, 2019
The Brookings Institution and EconoFact

The Issue:

The recent claim that in 2018, the 400 wealthiest American families paid, on average, a smaller percentage of their income in taxes (23 percent) than the percentage paid by the bottom half of all U.S. households (24 percent) has generated enormous attention and controversy. This assertion is featured

Taxing the Rich

By Kimberly Clausing·July 9, 2019
Reed College

The Issue:

Many Americans have not felt the benefits of strong GDP growth in recent decades, as thirty-five years of rising income inequality have concentrated the income growth at the top of the distribution. While the federal income tax system is progressive, it has failed to counter these trends, and some of

Breaking Barriers to College for High-Achieving, Low-Income Students

By Susan Dynarski·March 17, 2019
University of Michigan

The Issue:

College graduates have more career opportunities and earn substantially more over their lifetimes than those who attain only a high school degree. There is even more of an earnings boost from attending a highly selective college. Yet low-income students with strong academic credentials are less likely

Voting and Income

By Randall Akee·February 7, 2019
University of California, Los Angeles

The Issue:

Voter turnout in the United States is vastly unequal: richer people are more likely to vote than poorer people. If the poor are less likely to vote then they have a lower probability of having their interests and preferences reflected in public policy. While the association between higher family incomes

Policy Implications from Rising Economic Inequality

By Kimberly Clausing and Hilary Hoynes·November 13, 2018
Reed College and University of California, Berkeley

The Issue:

A marked increase in income inequality has been a defining characteristic of the U.S. economy of the past several decades. Progressive tax policy and a social safety net that invests in those at the bottom of the income distribution play a role in mitigating widening inequality in the United States. ...
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How will the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Impact American Workers?

By Kimberly Clausing·May 29, 2018
Reed College

The Issue:

Backers of the tax legislation signed into law by President Trump at the end of 2017, referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), have made bullish claims about the ultimate effects of the legislation for American workers, with bold predictions about large increases in economic growth, investment, ...
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Race and Ethnicity Within Widening Income Inequality in the United States

By Randall Akee·May 10, 2018
University of California, Los Angeles

(A ratio of 1 means representation in the top 10 percent is commensurate with a group's representation in the overall labor force. A ratio greater than 1 represents an overrepresentation of that group in the top decile and a ratio of less than 1 represents an underrepresentation).

The Issue:

There are significant ...
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Many American Households Are Still Struggling to Build Wealth

By Karen Dynan·October 7, 2017
Harvard University

The Issue:

Although trends in income bear heavily on economic security at the household level, they are not the whole story. One also needs to look at patterns of wealth holding to fully assess the economic risks facing households. The latest data on wealth show broad-based positive gains for American households ...
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Income Differences in Education: the Gap Within the Gap

By Katherine Michelmore and Susan Dynarski·April 20, 2017
Syracuse University and University of Michigan

The Issue:

Students from poor families tend to score much lower on academic tests than their better-off peers. The achievement gap has grown over time: it is wider today than it was 25 years ago. This is particularly worrisome because test scores are early indications of whether a child will go on to attend college ...
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