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POLICY

In this section we provide some resources for those interested in a more action-oriented focus on inequality. This is no small challenge since the policy fields through which one might address inequality are multiple: From the educational system, the labor market, taxation law, to the housing market. Despite the multiple vectors through which inequality is spawned and reproduced, policy debates, policy proposals, and implemented policy are sparse. We have therefore proceeded to bring together in this section materials that are specific to these two dimensions of policy: discourse and proposals, and implementation.

FEATURED RESOURCES

Books, Reports, and Scholarly Publications

  • Bargain, Olivier et al. 2015. “TAX POLICY AND INCOME INEQUALITY IN THE UNITED STATES, 1979-2007.” Economic Inquiry 53(2): 1061–85. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecin.12172.
  • Bayaz Ozturk, Gulgun. 2018. “Anti-Poverty Effects of In-Kind Transfers Among Divorced or Separated Women in the United States: Anti-Poverty Effects of Transfers.” Poverty & Public Policy 10(1): 57–80. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pop4.203.
  • Burman, Leonard E. 2014. Taxes and Inequality. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/taxes-and-inequality.
  • Franko, William W. 2013. “Political Inequality and State Policy Adoption: Predatory Lending, Children’s Health Care, and Minimum Wage: Political Inequality and State Policy Adoption.” Poverty & Public Policy 5(1): 88–114. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pop4.17.
  • Hendren, Nathaniel, and Ben Sprung-Keyser. 2020. “A Unified Welfare Analysis of Government Policies*.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics 135(3): 1209–1318. https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/135/3/1209/5781614.
  • Hoynes, Hilary W., and Ankur J. Patel. 2018. “Effective Policy for Reducing Poverty and Inequality?: The Earned Income Tax Credit and the Distribution of Income.” Journal of Human Resources 53(4): 859–90. http://jhr.uwpress.org/lookup/doi/10.3368/jhr.53.4.1115.7494R1.
  • Jorda, Vanesa, Jose M. Alonso, and UNU-WIDER. 2020. 2020 What Works to Mitigate and Reduce Relative (and Absolute) Inequality? A Systematic Review. 152nd ed. UNU-WIDER. https://www.wider.unu.edu/node/238043.
  • Joumard, Isabelle, Mauro Pisu, and Debbie Bloch. 2012. “Tackling Income Inequality: The Role of Taxes and Transfers.” OECD Journal: Economic Studies 2012(1): 37–70. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/tackling-income-inequality_eco_studies-2012-5k95xd6l65lt.
  • Leigh, Andrew. 2008. “Does Raising the Minimum Wage Help the Poor?*: MINIMUM WAGES AND INEQUALITY.” Economic Record 83(263): 432–45. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-4932.2007.00432.x.
  • Nall, Clayton. 2018. The Road to Inequality: How the Federal Highway Program Polarized America and Undermined Cities. Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
  • van Oorschot, Wim, and Ellen Finsveen. 2010. “Does the Welfare State Reduce Inequalities in People’s Social Capital?” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 30(3/4): 182–93. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/01443331011033364/full/html.
  • Schenck, Samantha Marie. 2020. “Effect of State Paid Family Leave Policies on Inequalities in Maternity Leave Usage in the United States.” International Advances in Economic Research 26(2): 199–201. https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11294-020-09781-5.
  • Schmitt, John. 2009. Inequality as Policy: The United States Since 1979. Washington, D.C.: Center for Economic and Policy Research. https://cepr.net/documents/publications/inequality-policy-2009-10.pdf.
  • United States Department of the Treasury. 2016. Reducing Income Inequality through Progressive Tax Policy : The Effects of Recent Tax Changes on Inequality. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Treasury. https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo88022.
  • York, Erica, and Garrett Watson. 2020. “The Unintended Consequences of Higher Corporate Taxes on Income Inequality.” Tax Foundation. https://taxfoundation.org/do-corporate-tax-cuts-increase-income-inequality/.

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