An IB Global Politics Site

Now some economists have re-crunched the numbers and concluded that the income share of the top 1% in America may have been little changed since as long ago as 1960. They argue that earlier researchers mishandled the tax-return data that yield estimates of inequality. Previous results may also have failed to account for falling marriage rates among the poor, which divide income around more households—but not more people. And a bigger chunk of corporate profits may flow to middle-class people than previously realised, because they own shares through pension funds. In 1960 retirement accounts owned just 4% of American shares; by 2015 the figure was 50%.

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2019/11/28/inequality-could-be-lower-than-you-think?cid1=cust/ednew/n/bl/n/2019/11/28n/owned/n/n/nwl/n/n/NA/351303/n