Over the course of American history, support for economic redistribution has been the exception, not the rule. In the 20th century, support for redistributive policies emerged as a dominant force in national politics only in the Depression decade of the 1930s; it was intermittently influential from 1945 to 1965. More […] Read more »
Rising riches: 1 in 5 in U.S. reaches affluence
… Made up largely of older professionals, working married couples and more educated singles, the new rich are those with household income of $250,000 or more at some point during their working lives. That puts them, if sometimes temporarily, in the top 2 percent of earners. … In a country […] Read more »
Obama and the politics of economic inequality
Weakened by problems with his health-care initiative, President Obama turned back to the economy last week to rebalance his presidency with a speech about income inequality. He said he would devote much of his remaining time in office to the issue, calling it the “defining challenge of our time.” … […] Read more »
Democrats Run Biggest Cities as U.S. Residents Cluster by Party
Twenty years ago, half the 12 largest U.S. municipalities had a Republican mayor. When Bill de Blasio takes office in New York on Jan. 1, none will. As middle-class residents moved out of cities and immigrants and young people replaced them, the party lost its grip on population centers even […] Read more »
The Economic Implications of the 2013 Elections
… In 2013, voters across the country approached the polls with a very clear agenda, expressing not only their ongoing anxiety about the state of the economy, but also their strong desire to help the middle class and level the economic playing field for working families. This trend was not […] Read more »
Envy, Scorn and Shutdown
“Dysfunctional” is a word often applied to the federal government shutdown. If only we had a functional understanding of the causes of dysfunction. Many explanations offered point to the effects of increased income inequality on political institutions. But increased inequality may have even more direct effects, undermining trust and driving […] Read more »