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When did Inequality Rise in Britain and America?

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  • Peter H. Lindert

Abstract

New information and new perspectives reveal three long periods in which the two most-studies economies had a widening in income and wealth gaps. First, income inequality rose in both Britain and America between 1977 and 1995. In America, it regained the old pre-1929 levels, contrary to the official figures. Second, wealth and earnings gaps widened sometime in America between 1774 and 1913. Third, inequality rose in Britain from 1740 to 1810, earlier than others have suspected. This early widening reflects the role of severe relative price movements, which have been missed by the usual measures of (nominal) income inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter H. Lindert, 2000. "When did Inequality Rise in Britain and America?," Journal of Income Distribution, Ad libros publications inc., vol. 9(1), pages 2-2, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:jid:journl:y:2000:v:09:i:1:p:2-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Weinhold, Diana & Nair-Reichert, Usha, 2009. "Innovation, Inequality and Intellectual Property Rights," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 889-901, May.
    2. Nico Voigtländer & Hans-Joachim Voth, 2006. "Why England? Demographic factors, structural change and physical capital accumulation during the Industrial Revolution," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 319-361, December.
    3. Robert C. Allen, 2017. "Class Structure and Inequality during the Industrial Revolution: Lessons from England’s Social Tables, 1688-1867," Working Papers 20170002, New York University Abu Dhabi, Department of Social Science, revised May 2017.
    4. Chu, Angus C. & Peretto, Pietro F., 2023. "Innovation and inequality from stagnation to growth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    5. Nico Voigtländer & Joachim Voth, 2005. "Why England? Demand, growth and inequality during the Industrial Revolution," Economics Working Papers 857, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Dec 2006.
    6. Cagetti, Marco & De Nardi, Mariacristina, 2008. "Wealth Inequality: Data And Models," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(S2), pages 285-313, September.
    7. Ran Abramitzky & Leah Boustan, 2017. "Immigration in American Economic History," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 55(4), pages 1311-1345, December.
    8. Guido Alfani & Hector García Montero, 2022. "Wealth inequality in pre‐industrial England: A long‐term view (late thirteenth to sixteenth centuries)," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 75(4), pages 1314-1348, November.
    9. Gazeley, Ian & Holmes, Rose & Newell, Andrew T. & Reynolds, Kevin & Gutierrez Rufrancos, Hector, 2018. "Inequality among European Working Households, 1890-1960," IZA Discussion Papers 11355, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Lu Han, 2019. "The Mutable Geography of Firms' International Trade: Evidence and Macroeconomic Implications," Working Papers 201909, University of Liverpool, Department of Economics.
    11. Aránzazu Guillán Montero & David Le Blanc, 2019. "Lessons for Today from Past Periods of Rapid Technological Change," Working Papers 158, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    12. Blum, Matthias & McLaughlin, Eoin, 2019. "Living standards and inequality in the industrial revolution: Evidence from the height of University of Edinburgh students in the 1830s," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 185-192.
    13. Joseph E Fargione & Clarence Lehman & Stephen Polasky, 2011. "Entrepreneurs, Chance, and the Deterministic Concentration of Wealth," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    14. Wouter Ryckbosch, 2014. "Economic inequality and growth before the industrial revolution: A case study of the Low Countries (14th-19th centuries)," Working Papers 067, "Carlo F. Dondena" Centre for Research on Social Dynamics (DONDENA), Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.
    15. Espín-Sánchez, José-Antonio & Gil-Guirado, Salvador & Giraldo-Paez, W. Daniel & Vickers, Chris, 2019. "Labor income inequality in pre-industrial Mediterranean Spain: The city of Murcia in the 18th century," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-1.
    16. Fernández, Eva & Santiago Caballero, Carlos, 2018. "Economic inequality in Madrid, 1500-1840," IFCS - Working Papers in Economic History.WH 27072, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Instituto Figuerola.
    17. Joel Mokyr & Chris Vickers & Nicolas L. Ziebarth, 2015. "The History of Technological Anxiety and the Future of Economic Growth: Is This Time Different?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 29(3), pages 31-50, Summer.

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