The Challenge of Inequality

Published January 21, 2021

Whether rising income inequality is good or bad depends on why it's rising. We should worry more about whether people have a chance to get ahead and worry less that some get ahead faster than others. In particular, we should help Americans at the bottom get the opportunity to flourish.

• Watch Episode 1 in this series, How Is The Middle Class Doing?
• Watch Episode 2 in this series, The Paradox of Household Income.
• Watch Episode 3 in this series, Do The Rich Get All The Gains?
• Watch Episode 4 in this series, Let's Party Like It's 1973!

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the realities versus the myths of poverty?
2. How can we understand the root causes of poverty?

Additional Resources

• Read “Do the Rich Get All the Gains from Economic Growth?” by Russ Roberts. Available here.
• Russ Roberts hosts EconTalk with guest Richard Burkhauser of Cornell University and talks about the state of the middle class, available here. 
• Read “What Do Economists Actually Know?” by Russ Roberts, available here.