The objective of this research is to document and to explain trends in inequality in 20th century France. Data from income tax returns (1915-98), wage tax returns (1919-98) and inheritance tax returns (1902-94), is used in order to compute fully homogeneous, yearly estimates of income inequality, wage inequality and wealth inequality. The main conclusion is that the decline in income inequality that took place during the first half of the 20th century was mostly accidental. In France and possibly in a number of other developed countries as well wage inequality has actually been extremely stable in the long run, and the secular decline in income inequality is for the most part a capital income phenomenon. Holders of very large fortunes were severely hit by major shocks during the 1914-45 period, and were never able to fully recover from these shocks, probably because of the dynamic effects of progressive taxation on capital accumulation and pre-tax income inequality.
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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number
2876.
Find related papers by JEL classification: D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution N34 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Income, and Wealth - - - Europe: 1913-
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Davide Ticchi & Andrea Vindigni, 2007.
"War and Endogenous Democracy,"
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0715, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, revised 2007.
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Dan Andrews & Christopher Jencks & Andrew Leigh, 2009.
"Do Rising Top Incomes Lift All Boats?,"
CAMA Working Papers
2009-17, Australian National University, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis.
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