Abstract
The methodological assumptions underlying international comparisons of levels and trends in inequality are discussed, starting with the choice of the evaluative space. Empirical evidence shows that at the end of the 1990s, the United States had the highest level of disposable income inequality among high-income economies, while northern and central European countries had the lowest levels. Only in Russia and Mexico, two middle-income economies, was disposable income more unequally distributed. No common trend in inequality is observed since the 1970s across rich nations. Public redistribution through taxes and benefits influence both levels and changes in inequality.
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Brandolini, A., Smeeding, T.M. (2018). Inequality (International Evidence). In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_1999
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_1999
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