The inequality delusion and other scapegoats for populism -- The fairness instinct -- Economic unfairness and the rise of populism -- The twin virtues of equal opportunity and fair unequal outcomes -- Constraints and solutions to economic fairness -- Conclusion. Scripting a path forward.

This paper is concerned with the question of whether top income earners are permanently there or only temporarily receive the highest incomes. How much mobility is there at the top of the income distribution, and how has mobility changed over time? The paper makes both a methodological and an...