issue Inequality & Mobility

Equitable Growth supports research and policy analysis on how trends in economic inequality and mobility and changes in the economy have affected the concentration of wealth, income, and earnings, and how these distributional shifts have affected the promise of economic security and opportunity.

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During the mid-20th century, strong economic growth was broadly shared, as incomes increased and children could expect a better quality of life than their parents, though significant disparities across demographic groups remained. In recent decades, wealth, income, and earnings inequality have been rising and mobility declining, and demographic disparities persist. Better understanding these trends and their implications for economic growth will inform evidence-backed policies that improve growth and mobility for people across incomes, regions, and demographic groups.

Featured Research

In Conversation

In Conversation with Miles Corak

Inequality & Mobility
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U.S. economic mobility trends and outcomes

Inequality & Mobility
In Conversation

In conversation with Sasha Killewald

Inequality & Mobility
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GDP 2.0: Measuring who prospers when the U.S. economy grows

Inequality & Mobility
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Stratification economics: What it is and how it advances our understanding of inequality

Inequality & Mobility
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Six charts that explain how inequality in the United States changed over the past 20 years

Inequality & Mobility
TOPICS: 1
TOPICS: GDP 2.0

Explore Content in Inequality & Mobility2537

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African American men and the U.S. labor market during recessions and economic recoveries

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Why is Workplace Sexual Harassment Underreported? The Value of Outside Options Amid the Threat of Retaliation

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Getting cash transfer payments to recipients faster boosts household spending and stimulates the economy

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Anticipation and Consumption

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January Jobs report: U.S. employment growth surpasses expectations, but it is essential to boost job quality in manufacturing

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Equitable Growth’s Jobs Day Graphs: January 2022 Report Edition

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Consumption volatility across the U.S. income distribution is highest among low-income workers and their families

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Money Matters: Consumption Volatility Across the Income Distribution

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How new job search technologies are affecting the U.S. labor market

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Six charts that explain how inequality in the United States changed over the past 20 years

Inequality & Mobility
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TOPICS: GDP 2.0
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The U.S. economy is in its fourth decade of rising inequality amid the need for more accurate data on its consequences

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Equitable Growth’s new efforts to foster more diversity in grantmaking and new pathways for scholars in the economics profession

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Experts on the issue

Grantee

Heather Sarsons

University of Chicago

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Grantee

Katherine Thomas

New York University

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Guest Author

Naomi Zewde

University of California, Los Angels

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Grantee

Joan Williams

University of California, Hastings College of Law

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Grantee

Fenaba Addo

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

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