Inequality

Inequality is on the rise in many countries, prompting a new interest from policy-makers in how to prevent and reduce it. This focus matters, as the unequal distribution of income, power and resources can: 

• make growth less effective at reducing poverty, and exclude some groups from contributing to growth or benefiting from growth altogether
• lead to political and economic instability and social unrest
• make it harder for the poorest to influence government institutions, and less likely that policies will benefit the poorest.

Our research asks two key questions: how can the benefits of growth be more evenly shared, and what should be the priority for policy-makers concerned with rising inequality?