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Capital Gains and the Distribution of Income in the United States

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  • Jacob Robbins

    (Brown University)

Abstract

This paper constructs a new data series on aggregate capital gains and their distribution, and documents that since 1980 capital gains have been the main driver of wealth accumulation. Over this period, capital gains averaged 8% of national income and comprised a third of total capital income. Capital gains are not included in the national income and product accounts, where the definition of national income reflects the goal of measuring current production. To explain the accumulation of household wealth and distribution of capital income, both of which are affected by changes in asset prices, this paper uses the Haig-Simons income concept, which includes capital gains. Accounting for capital gains increases the measured capital share of income by 5 p.p., increases the comprehensive savings rate (inclusive of capital gains) by 6 p.p., and leads to a greater measured increase in income inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacob Robbins, 2019. "Capital Gains and the Distribution of Income in the United States," 2019 Meeting Papers 202, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    • Handle: RePEc:red:sed019:202
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Blanchet, 2022. "Uncovering the Dynamics of the Wealth Distribution," Working Papers hal-03865295, HAL.
    2. Andreas Fagereng & Martin Blomhoff Holm & Benjamin Moll & Gisle Natvik, 2019. "Saving Behavior Across the Wealth Distribution: The Importance of Capital Gains," NBER Working Papers 26588, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Roth, Steve, 2021. "Why the Flow of Funds Don’t Explain the Flow of Funds: Sectoral Balances, Balance Sheets, and the Accumulation Fallacy," MPRA Paper 109976, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Lee, Jangyoun, 2021. "Behind rising inequality and falling growth," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    5. Guillermo Ordonez & Facundo Piguillem, 2022. "Saving Rates and Savings Ratios," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 46, pages 365-381, October.
    6. Luisa Corrado & Aicha Kharazi, 2022. "Collateral, Household Borrowing, and Income Distribution," BEMPS - Bozen Economics & Management Paper Series BEMPS90, Faculty of Economics and Management at the Free University of Bozen.
    7. Eggertsson, Gauti B. & Robbins, Jacob A. & Wold, Ella Getz, 2021. "Kaldor and Piketty’s facts: The rise of monopoly power in the United States," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(S), pages 19-38.
    8. Lisa Adkins & Melinda Cooper & Martijn Konings, 2021. "Class in the 21st century: Asset inflation and the new logic of inequality," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 53(3), pages 548-572, May.

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