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

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New research doesn’t overturn consensus on rising U.S. income inequality

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
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New research documents the high cost of residential racial segregation in Northern cities of the United States

Inequality & Mobility
In Conversation

In Conversation with Erica Groshen

Inequality & MobilityLabor

Explore Content in Inequality & Mobility2516

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LGBTQ+ Black Pride: More than a celebration

Inequality & Mobility
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Equitable Growth delivers economist sign-on letter and comment letter to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on its Proposed Revisions to Circular A-4, Regulatory Analysis

Tax & MacroeconomicsInequality & MobilityFamilies
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Paid sick leave means dads can spend more time caring for loved ones and less time worrying about missing work

FamiliesInequality & MobilityLabor
working paper

The Impact of Austerity on Gender Inequality in Time Allocation in the United States

FamiliesInequality & Mobility
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Wealth as a driver of income and consumption mobility in the United States

Inequality & MobilityFamilies
working paper

Intergenerational Mobility using Income, Consumption, and Wealth

Inequality & MobilityFamilies
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Equitable Growth’s Jobs Day Graphs: May 2023 Report Edition

LaborInequality & Mobility
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New IRS report examines free tax filing option to reduce the cost and complexity for U.S. taxpayers

Inequality & MobilityTax & Macroeconomics
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Food assistance can disrupt intergenerational poverty in the United States, promoting racial economic equity

FamiliesInequality & Mobility
working paper

The Effectiveness of the Food Stamp Program at Reducing Differences in the Intergenerational Persistence of Poverty

FamiliesInequality & Mobility
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Proposed update to federal cost-benefit analysis guidelines correctly focuses on accounting for inequality in regulations

Inequality & Mobility
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The rise of industrial policy means data synchronization is more critical than ever

Inequality & Mobility

Experts on the issue

Guest Author

Michael Ettlinger

University of New Hampshire

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Grantee

Greg Duncan

University of California, Irvine

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Grantee

Andrew Garin

Carnegie Mellon University

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Scholar

Lauren Russell

Harvard University

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Grantee

Leah Hamilton

Appalachian State University

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