Combating inequality : rethinking government's role / edited Olivier Blanchard and Dani Rodrik.

"Peterson Institute for International Economics" -- title page

Introduction: We Have the Tools to Reverse the Rise in Inequality / Olivier Blanchard and Dani Rodrid -- I: The Landscape -- 1. Ten Facts about Inequality in Advanced Economies / Lucas Chancel -- 2. Discussion of the Landscape / Peter Diamond -- II: Ethical and Philosophical Dimensions -- 3. Time for New Philosophical Foundations for Economic Theory? / Danielle Allen -- 4. What Kinds of Inequality Should Economists Address? / Philippe Van Parijs -- 5. Why Does Inequality Matter? / T. M. Scanlon -- III: Political Dimensions -- 6. Wealth Inequality and Politics / Ben Ansell -- 7. The Political Conditions Necessary for Addressing Inequality / Sheri Berman -- 8. The Political Obstacles to Tackling Economic Inequality in the United States / Nolan McCarty -- IV: The Distribution of Human Capital -- 9. A Modern Safety Net / Jesse Rothstein, Lawrence F. Katz, and Michael Stynes -- 10. Education's Untapped Potential / Tharman Shanmugaratnam -- V: Policies toward Trade, Outsourcing, and Foreign Investment -- 11. Why Was the "China Shock" So Shocking-and What Does This Mean for Policy? / David Autor -- 12. Trade, Labor Markets, and the China Shock: What Can Be Learned from the German Experience? / Christian Dustmann -- 13. Combating Inequality: Rethinking Policies to Reduce Inequality in Advanced Economies / Caroline Freund -- VI: The (Re)distribution of Financial Capital -- 14. How to Increase Taxes on the Rich (If You Must) / N. Gregory Mankiw -- 15. Would a Wealth Tax Help Combat Inequality? / Lawrence H. Summers -- 16. Should We Tax Wealth? / Emmanuel Saez -- VII: Policies That Affect the Rate and Direction of Technological Change -- 17. Could We and Should We Reverse (Excessive) Automation? / Daron Acemoglu -- 18. Innovation and Inequality / Philippe Aghion -- 19. Technological Change, Income Inequality, and Good Jobs / Laura D'Andrea Tyson -- VIII: Labor Market Policies, Institutions, and Social Norms -- 20. Gender Inequality / Marianne Bertrand -- 21. Ownership Cures for Inequality / Richard B. Freeman -- IX: Labor Market Tools -- 22. Guaranteeing Employment for All / William Darity Jr. -- 23. Making Work Work / David T. Ellwood -- 24. The Importance of Enforcement in Designing Effective Labor Market Tools / Heidi Shierholz -- X: Social Safety Net -- 25. Enhancing Micro and Macro Resilience by Building on the Improvements in the Social Safety Net / Jason Furman -- 26. The Social Safety Net for Families with Children: What Is Working and How to Do More / Hilary Hoynes -- XI: Progressive Taxation -- 27. Reflections on Taxation in Support of Redistributive Policies / Wojciech Kopczuk -- 28. Why Do We Not Support More Redistribution? New Explanations from Economics Research / Stefanie Stantcheva -- 29. Can a Wealth Tax Work? / Gabriel Zucman.

"Edited collection with contributions from notable economists on policy solutions to the problem of economic inequality in advanced economies"-- Provided by publisher

Leading economists and policymakers consider what economic tools are most effective in reversing the rise in inequality. Economic inequality is the defining issue of our time. In the United States, the wealth share of the top 1% has risen from 25% in the late 1970s to around 40% today. The percentage of children earning more than their parents has fallen from 90% in the 1940s to around 50% today. In Combating Inequality, leading economists, many of them current or former policymakers, bring good news: we have the tools to reverse the rise in inequality. In their discussions, they consider which of these tools are the most effective at doing so. The contributors express widespread agreement that we need to aim policies at economic inequality itself; deregulation and economic stimulus will not do the job. No longer does anyone ask, in relation to expanded social programs, “Can we pay for it?” And most believe that US taxes will have to rise—although they debate whether the progressivity should focus on the revenue side or the expenditure side, through broad-based taxes like the VAT or through a wealth tax aimed at the very top of the income scale. They also consider the philosophical aspects of inequality—whether it is bad in itself or because of its consequences; the risks and benefits of more radical interventions to change the nature of production and trade; and future policy directions. -- Provided by publisher