This chapter looks at US household sector micro data since 1989, to explore the relation between income inequality and financial fragility from a macro perspective. In contrast with a portfolio (and wealth inequality) approach to household financial instability, which focuses on the investments...

This chapter examines the link between the instability features of a profit-driven economy and the structural changes inherent to that type of economy. Moving from consideration of the profit motive as search and exploitation of price (or cost) differentials, the chapter considers the structural...