Is inequality a problem we can solve?

Todd A. Knoop

Chapter 7 in Understanding Economic Inequality, 2025, pp 190-232 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: There is no tradeoff between higher income and higher inequality levels; instead, the level of inequality within countries is the result of political and policy choices. The goal of this chapter is to broadly consider the policy menu options that governments have to choose from when they set a goal to reduce inequality. This includes examining structural inequality policies that change the workings of markets (such as changes in minimum wage laws, antitrust regulation, unionization, corporate governance, international trade policy, anti-discrimination laws, and education) and fiscal redistributive policies that transfer resources from the richer to the poorer citizens (such as increasing the progressiveness of income taxation, corporate taxation, wealth and inheritance taxation, property taxation, or increased spending on public investment, wage subsidies, and universal basic incomes).

Keywords: Minimum wage laws; Antitrust regulation; Unionization; Corporate taxation; Wealth and inheritance taxation; Universal basic income (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035360116
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