IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/metroe/v67y2016i2p429-457.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Inequality of Income and Wealth in the Long Run: A Kaldorian Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Soon Ryoo

Abstract

The paper examines the determinants of income and wealth inequality in a Kaldorian model. The approach is different from both the mainstream approach that stresses properties of production function and the Kaleckian approach that emphasizes the long†run adjustment of utilization. The analysis identifies several developments that may have increased inequality since the 1980s, including the shift of the power relation in favor of top managerial pay, the decline in the retention rate, increasing share buybacks, rising indebtedness of lower†income households and stock market booms. In contrast to Piketty's explanation, the decline in the natural growth rate reduces inequality in this Kaldorian framework.

Suggested Citation

  • Soon Ryoo, 2016. "Inequality of Income and Wealth in the Long Run: A Kaldorian Perspective," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(2), pages 429-457, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:metroe:v:67:y:2016:i:2:p:429-457
    DOI: 10.1111/meca.12096
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/meca.12096
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/meca.12096?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christopher D Carroll, 1997. "Why Do the Rich Save So Much?," Economics Working Paper Archive 388, The Johns Hopkins University,Department of Economics.
    2. Lance Taylor, 2014. "The Triumph of the Rentier? Thomas Piketty vs. Luigi Pasinetti & John Maynard Keynes," SCEPA working paper series. 2014-7, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), The New School.
    3. Fazi, Elido & Salvadori, Neri, 1985. "The Existence of a Two-Class Economy in a General Cambridge Model of Growth and Distribution," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 9(2), pages 155-164, June.
    4. Nicholas Kaldor, 1955. "Alternative Theories of Distribution," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 23(2), pages 83-100.
    5. Marc Lavoie & Wynne Godley, 2012. "Kaleckian Models of Growth in a Coherent Stock–Flow Monetary Framework: A Kaldorian View," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Marc Lavoie & Gennaro Zezza (ed.), The Stock-Flow Consistent Approach, chapter 6, pages 123-156, Palgrave Macmillan.
    6. Robert Rowthorn, 2014. "A note on Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 38(5), pages 1275-1284.
    7. Thomas Piketty & Emmanuel Saez, 2003. "Income Inequality in the United States, 1913–1998," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(1), pages 1-41.
    8. Luigi L. Pasinetti, 1962. "Rate of Profit and Income Distribution in Relation to the Rate of Economic Growth," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 29(4), pages 267-279.
    9. Thomas Piketty & Gabriel Zucman, 2014. "Capital is Back: Wealth-Income Ratios in Rich Countries 1700–2010," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(3), pages 1255-1310.
    10. Ryoo, Soon, 2010. "Long waves and short cycles in a model of endogenous financial fragility," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 163-186, June.
    11. Robert S. Chirinko, 2008. "ó: The Long And Short Of It," CESifo Working Paper Series 2234, CESifo.
    12. Lance Taylor, 2014. "The Triumph of the Rentier? Thomas Piketty vs. Luigi Pasinetti and John Maynard Keynes," International Journal of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(3), pages 4-17, July.
    13. Eckhard Hein, 2012. "The Macroeconomics of Finance-Dominated Capitalism – and its Crisis," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14931.
    14. Mark Setterfield (ed.), 2002. "The Economics of Demand-Led Growth," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1864.
    15. Robert J. Gordon & Ian Dew-Becker, 2008. "Controversies about the Rise of American Inequality: A Survey," NBER Working Papers 13982, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Thomas I. Palley, 2013. "A K aldor– H icks– G oodwin– T obin– K alecki model of growth and distribution," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(2), pages 319-345, May.
    17. Mark Setterfield (ed.), 2010. "Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Growth," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12814.
    18. Bhaduri, Amit & Marglin, Stephen, 1990. "Unemployment and the Real Wage: The Economic Basis for Contesting Political Ideologies," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 14(4), pages 375-393, December.
    19. Peter Skott, 2012. "Theoretical And Empirical Shortcomings Of The Kaleckian Investment Function," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(1), pages 109-138, February.
    20. Thomas I. Palley, 2013. "A Theory of Minsky Super-cycles and Financial Crises," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Financialization, chapter 8, pages 126-142, Palgrave Macmillan.
    21. Engelbert Stockhammer, 2004. "Financialisation and the slowdown of accumulation," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 28(5), pages 719-741, September.
    22. Saez, Emmanuel & Zucman, Gabriel, 2014. "Wealth Inequality in the United States since 1913: Evidence from Capitalized Income Tax Data," CEPR Discussion Papers 10227, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    23. Till van Treeck, 2009. "A synthetic, stock--flow consistent macroeconomic model of 'financialisation'," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 33(3), pages 467-493, May.
    24. Amitava Krishna Dutt, 2006. "Maturity, Stagnation And Consumer Debt: A Steindlian Approach," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(3), pages 339-364, July.
    25. Josh Bivens & Lawrence Mishel, 2013. "The Pay of Corporate Executives and Financial Professionals as Evidence of Rents in Top 1 Percent Incomes," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 27(3), pages 57-78, Summer.
    26. Thomas Palley, 2012. "Wealth and wealth distribution in the neo-Kaleckian growth model," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(3), pages 453-474.
    27. repec:hal:pseose:halshs-01157487 is not listed on IDEAS
    28. Simon Mohun, 2006. "Distributive shares in the US economy, 1964--2001," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 30(3), pages 347-370, May.
    29. Thomas I. Palley, 2010. "Inside Debt and Economic Growth: A Neo-Kaleckian Analysis," Chapters, in: Mark Setterfield (ed.), Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Growth, chapter 14, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    30. Engelbert Stockhammer & Ozlem Onaran, 2013. "Wage-led growth: theory, evidence, policy," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 1(1), pages 61-78, January.
    31. repec:hal:pseose:halshs-01109372 is not listed on IDEAS
    32. Tavani, Daniele & Vasudevan, Ramaa, 2014. "Capitalists, workers, and managers: Wage inequality and effective demand," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 120-131.
    33. Peter Skott & Soon Ryoo, 2008. "Macroeconomic implications of financialisation," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 32(6), pages 827-862, November.
    34. Darity, William A, Jr, 1981. "The Simple Analytics of Neo-Ricardian Growth and Distribution," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(5), pages 978-993, December.
    35. Robert Rowthorn, 2014. "A Note on Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century," Working Papers wp462, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    36. Dutt, Amitava Krishna, 1984. "Stagnation, Income Distribution and Monopoly Power," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 8(1), pages 25-40, March.
    37. Nicholas Kaldor, 1966. "Marginal Productivity and the Macro-Economic Theories of Distribution: Comment on Samuelson and Modigliani," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 33(4), pages 309-319.
    38. Soon Ryoo & Yun K. Kim, 2014. "Income Distribution, Consumer Debt and Keeping up with the Joneses," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(4), pages 585-618, November.
    39. Soon Ryoo, 2016. "Demand-driven inequality, endogenous saving rate and macroeconomic instability," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 40(1), pages 201-225.
    40. Skott,Peter, 2008. "Conflict and Effective Demand in Economic Growth," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521066310, October.
    41. Thomas I. Palley, 2015. "The middle class in macroeconomics and growth theory: a three-class neo-Kaleckian–Goodwin model," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 39(1), pages 221-243.
    42. Thomas I. Palley, 2014. "A neo-Kaleckian–Goodwin model of capitalist economic growth: monopoly power, managerial pay and labour market conflict," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 38(6), pages 1355-1372.
    43. Marc Lavoie, 2009. "Cadrisme within a Post-Keynesian Model of Growth and Distribution," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 369-391.
    44. Thomas Piketty, 2015. "About Capital in the Twenty-First Century," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(5), pages 48-53, May.
    45. Robert A. Blecker, 2002. "Distribution, Demand and Growth in Neo-Kaleckian Macro-Models," Chapters, in: Mark Setterfield (ed.), The Economics of Demand-Led Growth, chapter 8, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    46. Carlo Panico & Neri Salvadori (ed.), 1993. "Post Keynesian Theory Of Growth And Distribution," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 578.
    47. Soon Ryoo, 2013. "Minsky cycles in Keynesian models of growth and distribution," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 1(1), pages 37-60, January.
    48. Paul A. Samuelson & Franco Modigliani, 1966. "The Pasinetti Paradox in Neoclassical and More General Models," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 33(4), pages 269-301.
    49. Thomas R. Michl & Duncan K. Foley, 2004. "Social security in a Classical growth model," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 28(1), pages 1-20, January.
    50. Eckhard Hein & Marc Lavoie & Till van Treeck, 2012. "Harrodian Instability And The ‘Normal Rate’ Of Capacity Utilization In Kaleckian Models Of Distribution And Growth—A Survey," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(1), pages 139-169, February.
    51. Soon Ryoo, 2013. "The Paradox Of Debt And Minsky'S Financial Instability Hypothesis," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(1), pages 1-24, February.
    52. Peter Skott*, 1981. "On The ‘Kaldorian’ Saving Function," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(4), pages 563-581, November.
    53. repec:bla:kyklos:v:34:y:1981:i:4:p:563-81 is not listed on IDEAS
    54. Marc Lavoie & Stockhammer Engelbert, 2013. "Wage-Led Growth: An Equitable Strategy for Economic Recovery," Post-Print hal-01343664, HAL.
    55. Hyman P. Minsky, 1995. "Longer Waves in Financial Relations: Financial Factors in the More Severe Depressions II," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 83-96, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Soon Ryoo, 2018. "Top income shares and aggregate wealth-income ratio in a two-class corporate economy [Growth and distribution in heterodox models with managers and financiers]," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 42(3), pages 699-728.
    2. Peter Skott, 2017. "Weaknesses of 'wage-led growth'," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 5(3), pages 336-359, July.
    3. Luca Zamparelli, 2017. "Wealth Distribution, Elasticity of Substitution and Piketty: An ‘Anti-Dual’ Pasinetti Economy," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(4), pages 927-946, November.
    4. Michalis Nikiforos, 2015. "A Nonbehavioral Theory of Saving," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_844, Levy Economics Institute.
    5. Michaelis Nikiforos, 2018. "Distribution-led growth through methodological lenses," FMM Working Paper 24-2018, IMK at the Hans Boeckler Foundation, Macroeconomic Policy Institute.
    6. Hao, Yunping & Zhang, Bing, 2024. "The impact of digital financial usage on resident’s income inequality in China: An empirical analysis based on CHFS data," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Soon Ryoo, 2018. "Top income shares and aggregate wealth-income ratio in a two-class corporate economy [Growth and distribution in heterodox models with managers and financiers]," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 42(3), pages 699-728.
    2. Mark Setterfield & Yun K. Kim & Jeremy Rees, 2016. "Inequality, Debt Servicing and the Sustainability of Steady State Growth," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 45-63, January.
    3. Roberto Veneziani & Luca Zamparelli & Amitava Krishna Dutt, 2017. "Heterodox Theories Of Economic Growth And Income Distribution: A Partial Survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 1240-1271, December.
    4. Eckhard Hein, 2017. "Post-Keynesian macroeconomics since the mid 1990s: main developments," European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 14(2), pages 131-172, September.
    5. Setterfield, Mark & Kim, Yun K., 2016. "Debt servicing, aggregate consumption, and growth," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 22-33.
    6. Soon Ryoo, 2016. "Household debt and housing bubbles: a Minskian approach to boom-bust cycles," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 26(5), pages 971-1006, December.
    7. Luca Zamparelli, 2017. "Wealth Distribution, Elasticity of Substitution and Piketty: An ‘Anti-Dual’ Pasinetti Economy," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(4), pages 927-946, November.
    8. Eckhard Hein, 2012. "The Macroeconomics of Finance-Dominated Capitalism – and its Crisis," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14931.
    9. Hein, Eckhard, 2011. "Distribution, ‘Financialisation’ and the Financial and Economic Crisis – Implications for Post-crisis Economic Policies," MPRA Paper 31180, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Eckhard Hein, 2010. "Shareholder Value Orientation, Distribution And Growth—Short‐ And Medium‐Run Effects In A Kaleckian Model," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(2), pages 302-332, May.
    11. Parui, Pintu, 2021. "The Macroeconomic Effects of Financialization and the Wage Gap between Blue and White Collar Workers," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 416-443.
    12. Hein, Eckhard & Dodig, Nina, 2014. "Financialisation, distribution, growth and crises: Long-run tendencies," IPE Working Papers 35/2014, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    13. Rishabh Kumar, 2015. "Wealth accumulation and aggregate demand stagnation in a two class economy with applications to the United States," Working Papers 1526, New School for Social Research, Department of Economics.
    14. Soon Ryoo, 2013. "Minsky cycles in Keynesian models of growth and distribution," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 1(1), pages 37-60, January.
    15. Parui, Pintu, 2021. "Financialization and endogenous technological change: A post-Kaleckian perspective," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 221-244.
    16. Eckhard Hein, 2016. "Secular stagnation or stagnation policy? Steindl after Summers," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 69(276), pages 3-47.
    17. Hein, Eckhard & Dodig, Nina & Budyldina, Natalia, 2014. "Financial, economic and social systems: French Regulation School, Social Structures of Accumulation and Post-Keynesian approaches compared," IPE Working Papers 34/2014, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    18. Robert A. Blecker, 2016. "Wage-led versus profit-led demand regimes: the long and the short of it," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 4(4), pages 373-390, October.
    19. Stefan Ederer & Miriam Rehm, 2021. "Wealth inequality and aggregate demand," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(2), pages 405-424, May.
    20. Roberto Veneziani & Luca Zamparelli & Daniele Tavani & Luca Zamparelli, 2017. "Endogenous Technical Change In Alternative Theories Of Growth And Distribution," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 1272-1303, December.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:metroe:v:67:y:2016:i:2:p:429-457. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0026-1386 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.