The different causes of rising inequality in OECD countries
Income inequality has risen over the past 20 years in all OECD countries. We examine the causes and nature of this rise in inequality. It may have resulted from: A rise in inequality “ from the top †( caused by an increase in high incomes) or “ from the bottom †(due to weak growth in low incomes). Inequality from the top can be seen in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany; and from the bottom in Japan, France, Italy, Spain and also the United States; A skewing of income distribution between wages and profits, driving up capital income at the expense of wage incomes. This can be seen in the United States, Japan, Germany and Spain; In the case of inequality “ from the bottom â€, the rise in inequality may have resulted from a low employment rate or weak growth in low wages . T he employment rate is low in France, Spain and Italy; A lack of redistributive policies in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.