Skip to main content

Curated by Project Syndicate

Unequal at Any Speed?

28 commentaries

The 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath have focused widespread attention on economic inequality – all the more so because the gains from revived growth have accrued almost entirely to the rich. What explains persistent growth in wealth and income disparities, and how should governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and local communities respond?

Sort by: Show:
  1. The Capitalist Threat to Capitalism
    Capitalism Books_deckhand_Flickr deckhand/Flickr

    The Capitalist Threat to Capitalism

    May 23, 2014 Paul Polman & Lynn Forester de Rothschild call on companies and governments to unite in the search for an inclusive and sustainable economy.

  2. Where Is the Inequality Problem?
    WealthyRichHarrods_Chris JL_Flickr Chris JL/Flickr

    Where Is the Inequality Problem?

    May 8, 2014 Kenneth Rogoff says that Thomas Piketty is right about rich countries, but wrong about the world.

  3. The Right’s Piketty Problem

    The Right’s Piketty Problem

    Apr 30, 2014 J. Bradford DeLong is surprised by the poverty of conservative criticism of Capital in the Twenty-First Century.

  4. The Oligarchy Fallacy

    The Oligarchy Fallacy

    Apr 22, 2014 Jeffrey Frankel argues that attacking the ultra-rich is an inefficient way to reduce inequality.

  5. East Africa’s Prosperity Gap
    PovertyAfrica_Gates Foundation_Flickr The Gates Foundation/Flickr

    East Africa’s Prosperity Gap

    Mar 5, 2014 Michael Meyer points out that the region's rapid economic growth is overwhelmingly benefiting the very rich.

  6. From Poverty to Empowerment

    From Poverty to Empowerment

    Mar 3, 2014 Subir Gokarn & Anu Madgavkar propose a broad set of measures to lift Indians' standard of living.

  1. galbraith39_rudall30Getty Images_businessmanforest rudall30/Getty Images

    Economists’ Way Out of the Wilderness

    James K. Galbraith argues that the continued dominance of nineteenth-century thinking has resulted in a catalogue of failure.
  2. benami221_Justin SullivanGetty Images_trump Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Trump the Revolutionary Isolationist

    Shlomo Ben-Ami

    America's president subscribes to a brand of isolationism that has waxed and waned throughout US history, but has its roots in the two-century-old Monroe Doctrine. This is bad news for nearly everyone, because it implies acceptance of a world order based on spheres of influence, as envisioned by China and Russia.

    hears echoes of the Monroe Doctrine in the US president's threats to acquire Greenland.
  3. hubbard4_Chen MengtongChina News ServiceVCG via Getty Images_scottbessent Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

    How the Trump Administration Can Hit Its Growth Target

    Glenn Hubbard urges policymakers to focus on the three pillars of increased productivity.
  4. oneill129_Saul LoebGettyImages_us_treasury Saul Loeb/Getty Images

    Trump’s First Test Will Be the Bond Market

    Jim O'Neill

    Financial markets and official economic indicators over the past few weeks give policymakers around the world plenty to contemplate. Was the recent spike in bond yields a sufficient warning to Donald Trump and his team, or will they still follow through with inflationary stimulus, tariff, and immigration policies?

    wonders if recent market signals will keep the new administration’s radicalism in check.
  5. ahzhang19_Jaap ArriensNurPhoto via Getty Images_tiktok Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    The TikTok Boomerang

    Angela Huyue Zhang thinks the US government's ban on the app has left it in an untenable position.
  6. delaney1_Jose JimenezGettyImages_bahamas_dorian Jose Jimenez/Getty Images

    Turning the Financial Tide for Small Island States

    Maya Delaney & Aminath Shauna tout the potential of green and blue bonds to protect critical ecosystems and build economic resilience.
  7. brown116_Timur MatahariGettyImages_indonesia_free_school_meals Timur Matahari/Getty Images

    School Meals Provide Food for Thought – and Fuel for Development

    Gordon Brown & Kevin Watkins tout universal nutrition programs in lower-income countries to mitigate a lost decade for poor children.
  8. karl3_Apu GomesGetty Images_LAfires Apu Gomes/Getty Images

    A House Gutted by Fire

    Terry Lynn Karl blames the inferno now consuming Los Angeles County squarely on greenhouse-gas emissions.
  9. op_janeway17_Natalya KosarevichGetty Images_moneyhandslightbulb Natalya Kosarevich/Getty Images

    False Economies

    William H. Janeway highlights the high cost of the single-minded focus on efficiency that has come to dominate the discipline.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.