Income Inequality: An Indicator of Declining Growth

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Sustainable Economics for the Anthropocene

Abstract

Income inequality is used as an important indicator in economic approaches as they exist today, they are dysfunctional. This chapter isolates the comparative data showing the economic trends in salary and wealth distribution. Increased GDP over time has not translated into better wealth distribution and could be pivotal in creating further inequality. The impact of the COVID pandemic is also explored in equality terms as is gender and race. The impacts of this inequality create self-perpetuating feedback loops that permeate through the rest of society. This then illustrates the importance of these factors and their place in the global sustainability agenda—as important as the environment.

Income inequality is an important indicator in economic approaches. By drilling to the detail of earnings, it can be seen there are many areas for attention and different perspectives of interpretation. Using an American example over time a context can be created which surfaces the current issues and of course those ahead.

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Guarnieri, L., Lee-Davies, L. (2023). Income Inequality: An Indicator of Declining Growth. In: Sustainable Economics for the Anthropocene. Palgrave Studies in Sustainability, Environment and Macroeconomics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31879-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31879-5_2

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-31878-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-31879-5

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