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American Income Inequality in a Cross-National Perspective: Why Are We So Different?

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  • Timothy Smeeding

Abstract

Increasingly the rich nations of the world face a common set of social and economic issues: the cost of population aging, a growing number of single parent families, the growing majority of two-earner families, increasing numbers of immigrants from poorer nations, and in particular, rising economic inequality generated by skill-based technological change, international trade and other factors. All of these nations have also designed systems of social protection to shield their citizens against the risk of a decline in economic status due to unemployment, divorce, disability, retirement, and death of a spouse. The interaction of these economic and demographic forces and social programs generates the distribution of disposable income in each of these nations. The experiences and consequences of nations in dealing with issues of economic and social inequality is the subject of this paper.

Suggested Citation

  • Timothy Smeeding, 1997. "American Income Inequality in a Cross-National Perspective: Why Are We So Different?," LIS Working papers 157, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    • Handle: RePEc:lis:liswps:157
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    Cited by:

    1. Andreas Bergh & Therese Nilsson, 2014. "When More Poor Means Less Poverty: On Income Inequality and Purchasing Power," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 81(1), pages 232-246, July.
    2. David Jesuit & Douglas Roscoe & Vincent Mahler, 1997. "Exploring the Impact of Trade and Investment on Income Inequality: A Cross-National Sectoral Analysis of the Developed Market Economy Countries," LIS Working papers 159, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    3. Rune Ervik, 1998. "The Redistributive Aim of Social Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Taxes, Tax Expenditure Transfers and Direct Transfers in Eight Countries," LIS Working papers 184, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    4. Eva Sierminska, 2004. "Female Income Differentials and Social Benefits: A Four Country Comparison," LIS Working papers 377, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    5. Carlos Mulas-Granados, 2003. "The Trade-Off between Growth & Equality and the Economic Impact of Alternative Fiscal Adjustment Strategies in the EU," European Economy Group Working Papers 20, European Economy Group.
    6. Dmitry Kabrelyan, 2000. "A Comparison of the Earnings of Immigrants in Canada, United States, Australia and Germany," LIS Working papers 241, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    7. Bruno Martorano, 2015. "Is It Possible to Adjust ‘With a Human Face’? Differences in Fiscal Consolidation Strategies between Hungary and Iceland," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 57(4), pages 623-654, December.
    8. Andreas Bergh, 2005. "On Inter‐ and Intra‐Individual Redistribution of the Welfare State," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 86(s1), pages 984-995, December.
    9. Lee Rainwater & Timothy Smeeding, 2002. "Comparing Living Standards Across Nations: Real Incomes at the Top, the Bottom and the Middle," LIS Working papers 266, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    10. Andrzej Grodner & Timothy Smeeding, 2000. "Changing Income Inequality in OECD Countries: Updated Results from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS)," LIS Working papers 252, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    11. Carlos Mulas-Granados, 2005. "Fiscal Adjustments and the Short-Term Trade-Off between economic growth and equality," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 172(1), pages 61-92, June.
    12. Melchor Fernández & Alberto Meixide & Hipólito J. Simón, "undated". "El trabajo de bajos salarios en Espana," Studies on the Spanish Economy 152, FEDEA.

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