By general agreement, the federal budget is on an "unsustainable path." Try typing the phrase into Google News: 19 of the first 20 hits refer to the federal debt. But what does this actually mean? One suspects that some who use the phrase are guided by vague fears, or even that they don't quite...

This paper describes the evolution of inequality in the world economy since 1963 and describes the relationship between inequality, development, political regimes and the functional distribution of income. The movement of inequality within-countries since 1971 exhibits a strong common pattern...