We bring together scholars across disciplines to discuss the causes and consequences of inequality and strategies to promote economic mobility. Listen and discover novel insights and strategies to address today’s most pressing issues in inequality.
Meritocracy promises rewards based on talent and effort rather than privilege. Critics argue that merit is often shaped by inherited advantages. Philosopher Thomas Mulligan argues for a just conception of meritocracy and explains how it might be possible.
Kim Bowes explores the economic lives of ordinary Romans, drawing on archaeological evidence to rethink consumption, credit, and work. She reflects on the challenges of interpreting ancient data and what it can or cannot reveal about inequality and everyday life.
For our 50th episode, Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz reflects on six decades studying inequality. The Columbia economist, author, and former Clinton White House advisor discusses the ideas that shaped his career and how new technologies like AI may influence inequality.
Women's roles have transformed over the past century – but how have these changes reshaped economies? Columbia University economist Lena Edlund discusses the history of marriage, gender gaps in wealth and voting, and what work remains with host Steven Durlauf.
It’s no secret that college is expensive, and that lower-income students often require more assistance to manage those high costs. What’s less well known is how access to credit—or the lack thereof—can enhance or reduce inequality.
Even in high-tax states, most millionaires stay put. Cristobal Young joins Steven Durlauf and Geoff Wodtke to explain why the wealthy remain rooted, and what tax return and census data reveal about mobility, local ties, and the myth of tax flight.
Whatever a country's level of income inequality, its level of wealth inequality is even worse—and the two aren't always linked. Fabian Pfeffer joins Steven Durlauf to uncover what drives the wealth gap and how it shapes opportunity across generations.
Host Steven Durlauf speaks with Alberto Bisin and Jean-Philippe Bouchaud on how insights from physics, math, and history transform the study of wealth inequality.
Steven talks to Guido Alfani about the history of wealth inequality. They discuss how the roles and perceptions of the rich have changed, touching on moments in Western civilization, such as the Renaissance, the Middle Ages, the Industrial Revolution, and modernity.
Steven and Geoff talk to Nathan Wilmers about inequality in the labor market. He covers trends in wage inequality, declining union participation, the challenges of internal promotion, and the relationship between unequal income distribution and the luxury goods market.
