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Poverty and Inequality

The Political Economy of Redistribution

Jon Neill, Editor, Western Michigan University

(The first chapter of this book is available in PDF format.)

In past decades, when the economy grew policymakers could count on a portion of the increased wealth to "trickle down" to the underprivileged, thereby lifting many out of poverty. And the data for the 1960s, 70s and 80s substantiate this relationship. Recent evidence for the 1990s, however, shows that the relationship no longer rings true.

Despite the nation's significant and prolonged economic growth during this decade, the portion of aggregate income going to the poorest 20 percent of the population declined, while that of the richest 20 percent grew. The contributors to this volume examine the extent and reasons behind this distribution. Included are:

  • Welfare Report - 1996 Style: Will We Sacrifice the "Safety Net"?, Robert Haveman, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  • Why Has Economic Growth Been Such an Ineffective Tool Against Poverty in Recent Years?, Rebecca Blank, Northwestern University
  • Regional Poverty and Inequality in the United States, John P. Formby, University of Alabama
  • Patterns of Income Inequality in Modern Nations, Timothy M. Smeeding, Syracuse University and Luxembourg Income Study
  • From Parent to Child: Intergenerational Relations and Intrahousehold Allocations, Jere R. Behrman, University of Pennsylvania
  • The Reality of Redistribution, Gordon Tullock, University of Arizona
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    Related titles
  • Rising Wage Inequality: The 1980s Experience in Urban Labor Markets, Thomas Hyclak
  • Changes in Income Inequality with U.S. Metropolitan Areas, Janice F. Madden
  • Economic Conditions and Welfare Reform, Sheldon H. Danziger, Editor
  • Lessons for Welfare Reform, Dave M. O'Neill and June Ellenoff O'Neill
  • Of Heart and Mind: Social Policy Essays in Honor of Sar A. Levitan, Garth Mangum and Stephen Mangum, Editors
  • The Earned Income Tax Credit, Saul D. Hoffman and Laurence S. Seidman
    Also visit our Welfare-to-Work Research Hub.
    • "This book is an excellent contribution to the literature on earnings and income inequality. It provides a very useful introduction to methodologies for measuring inequality, a comprehensive overview of changes in inequality which have occurred in the United States, and an informative discussion of a variety of policy-related issues. Each of the contributors is an expert in the field, and this is reflected in the clarity of presentation and depth of insights in each chapter. The nontechnical presentation will make the volume accessible to a wide range of readers.

    "It is to be highly recommended for researchers in the field, for other social scientists, or for students looking for a readable and succinct overview of recent developments in inequality."Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal.

    "Highly recommended as being accessible to the undergraduate reader, yet also having something to offer the researcher." Choice

    153 pages. 1997
    $40 cloth ISBN 0-88099-182-8 / ISBN-13 978-0-88099-182-7
    $14 paper ISBN 0-88099-181-X / ISBN-13 978-0-88099-181-0.

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