Economics 238 - Inequality and Economic Growth

An examination of the global dynamics and determinants of inequality in income and wealth and its interplay with economic growth, from antiquity to the present. Beginning with an overview of growth at the country level, the course moves to examine the division of income between labor and capital, inequality in capital ownership, and inequality in labor earnings, ending with a discussion of policy proposals to address increasing inequality. Topics covered include the labor share, the concentration of wealth at the top, the skill premium, intergenerational mobility, managerial compensation, the racial and gender wage gaps, and offshore tax evasion. Prerequisite: ECO 150 or 153, or the equivalent. (E)