Measuring Distribution and Mobility of Income and Wealth.

• Author: Chetty, Raj
• Position: NBER Books

Economic research is increasingly focused on inequality in the distribution of personal resources and outcomes. One aspect of inequality is mobility: are individuals locked into their respective places in this distribution? To what extent do circumstances change, either over the life-cycle or across generations? Research not only measures inequality and mobility, but also analyzes the historical, economic, and social determinants of these outcomes, and the effect of public policies.

This volume explores the latest developments in the analysis of income and wealth distribution and mobility.

The collection of 23 studies is divided into five sections. The first examines observed patterns of income inequality and shifts in the distribution of earnings and in other factors that contribute to it. The next examines wealth inequality and includes a substantial discussion of the difficulties of defining and measuring wealth. The...