Davies et al. (2008, 2011) provided the first estimates of the global distribution of wealth, using 2000 as the benchmark year. These estimates have been revised and updated since 2010, and the purpose of this paper is to explain the ways in which the estimation methodology has evolved and...

Some middle-income economies, many of which Latin American, have not achieved to make the transition into high-income status for long years and are allegedly trapped in middle-income status. While there is considerable consensus on the proximate causes of this phenomenon, we present a global...

This paper looks at the links between inequality of opportunity and views about the underlying processes that support economic success or failure. Unlike income inequality, inequality of opportunity isolates the extent to which inequality in circumstances beyond an individual's control...

We incorporate the division of income between capital and labor into analysis on the relationship between inequality and growth. Using historical data, we document that changes in the top 1 % income shares are positively associated with subsequent growth of per capita GDP when the capital share...

As embodied in the concept of "inequality extraction" (Branko Milanovic), it is not possible to increase inequality (especially income inequality) in a society sustainably to levels beyond what is actually socially acceptable (and even less to levels endangering physical subsistence of parts of...

This paper examines the impact of digital trade on wealth inequality for 40 developed and developing member countries of the UNESCAP Asia Pacific region, for the period from 2005-2021. Data on digital trade, measured using two indicators, namely, trade in digitally deliverable services and trade...

The proliferation of the mobile phone technology in Kenya and in general Sub Saharan Africa did open new possibilities to enhance the quality of life for the masses. Mobile phones helped to connect people at all levels of the society; urban, rural, rich, poor etc. The benefits accruing from this...

We consider a model of occupational choice with credit market imperfections and local non convexities in education investment. The implications of individual heterogeneity for the evolution of wealth distribution and policies are studied. Convergence of the wealth distribution is obtained...

We study the recent evolution of top incomes in Switzerland. We close the data gap between 1993 and 2003 exploiting the fact that cantons changed their tax system at different points in time which allows us to use the non-changing cantons as control group. The results show that the share of top...

This paper examines the impact of digital trade on wealth inequality for 40 developed and developing member countries of the UNESCAP Asia Pacific region, for the period from 2005-2021. Data on digital trade, measured using two indicators, namely, trade in digitally deliverable services and trade...