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Humanizing an inhuman future
The impact that groundbreaking technological advances like artificial intelligence will have on the functioning of our economies and labor markets has been a hot topic for a long time. But Jerry...
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How much social mobility do people really want?
Here’s a question I get asked a lot: “Ok, so what’s the ideal amount of social mobility?” Scholars interested in relative income mobility often use a quintile transition matrix, showing how much...
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The global poverty gap is falling. Billionaires could help close it.
This week, the richest business leaders and investors from around the world will gather in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. In keeping with tradition, a small...
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A college degree is worth less if you are raised poor
People with more education have higher earnings. Boosting college education is therefore seen by many—including me—as a way to lift people out of poverty, combat growing income inequality, and...
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The rich-poor life expectancy gap
Gary Burtless, a senior fellow in Economic Studies, explains new research on the growing longevity gap between high-income and low-income Americans, especially among the aged. “Life expectancy...
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So, why is a college degree worth less if you are raised poor? A response to...
There is plenty of soul-searching going on about the state of public debate in America right now. But here’s a small reason to be hopeful: my recent blog post, “A college degree is worth less if you...
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Measuring income and wealth at the top using administrative and survey data
MEDIA RELEASE Wealth and Income Inequality Rising Less Rapidly than Estimated by Piketty, Others, New Brookings Research Finds Improved estimates emphasize importance of methodology, macro data in...
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Inequality undermines the value of education for the poor
High school dropout rates are higher in cities and states with greater income inequality. This does not just reflect the different demographics across places. As we document in our forthcoming...
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Make elites compete: Why the 1% earn so much and what to do about it
The spectacular economic rise of the top 1 percent is now common knowledge, thanks in large part to the work of Thomas Piketty and his collaborators. The top 1 percent of U.S. residents now earn 21...
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Making college less risky to boost social mobility
“Higher education, more than ever, is the ticket to the middle class.” So said President Obama last year. But is it? We know individual investments in higher education pay large dividends. But that is...
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Five evils: Multidimensional poverty and race in America
Image Source: © Rebecca Cook / Reuters
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Who would benefit most from free college?
Executive Summary Free college is unlikely to see the light of day in today’s divided political environment, but is frequently in the news as a point of contention between the two leading contenders...
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The glass barrier to the upper middle class is hardening
America is becoming a more class-stratified society, contrary to the nation’s self-image as a socially dynamic meritocracy. In particular, the barriers are hardening between the upper middle class and...
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Behavioral interventions to increase tax-time saving: Evidence from a...
Many American households have accumulated very little wealth in general and little contingency savings in particular. Lack of access to assets in a time of emergency can cause material hardship and...
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To help low-income American households, we have to close the "work gap"
When Franklin Roosevelt delivered his second inaugural address on January 20, 1936 he lamented the “one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.” He challenged Americans to measure their...
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Money for nothing: Why a universal basic income is a step too far
The idea of a universal basic income (UBI) is certainly an intriguing one, and has been gaining traction. Swiss voters just turned it down. But it is still alive in Finland, in the Netherlands, in...
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Why rich parents are terrified their kids will fall into the "middle class"
Politicians and scholars often lament the persistence of poverty across generations. But affluence persists, too. In the U.S. especially, the top of the income distribution is just as “sticky”, in...
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Income growth has been negligible but (surprise!) inequality has narrowed...
Alert voters everywhere realize the economy is neither as strong as claimed by the party in power nor the disaster described by the opposition. The election season will bring many passionate but...
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