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Does Wealth Inequality Matter for Growth? The Effect of Billionaire Wealth, Income Distribution, and Poverty

Author Info

  • Bagchi, Sutirtha

    ()

    (University of Michigan)

  • Svejnar, Jan

    ()

    (Columbia University)

Abstract

A fundamental question in social sciences relates to the effect of wealth inequality on economic growth. Yet, in tackling the question, researchers have had to use income as a proxy for wealth. We derive a global measure of wealth inequality from Forbes magazine's listing of billionaires and compare its effect on growth to the effects of income inequality and poverty. We find that wealth inequality reduces economic growth, but when we control for the fact that some billionaires acquired wealth through political connections, the effect of politically connected wealth inequality is negative, while politically unconnected wealth inequality, income inequality, and initial poverty have no significant effect.

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Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 7733.

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Length: 45 pages
Date of creation: Nov 2013
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7733
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Keywords: economic growth; wealth inequality; income inequality; billionaires; political connections;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
  • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
  • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth

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Cited by:

  1. Mthuli Ncube & Zuzana Brixiova & Zorobabel Bicaba, 2014. "Can Dreams Come True? Eliminating Extreme Poverty In Africa By 2030," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series wp1076, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.

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