In 2008, Barack Obama called income inequality “a dangerous and growing inequality—the defining challenge of our time.” In 2013, Charles Young, chancellor emeritus UCLA, called it the most important issue facing America today. Yet when Obama left office in January 2017, income inequality was higher than when he entered the White House. In September 2019, the Census Bureau reported that income inequality in the United States had reached its highest level in 50 years. The United States has the highest level of income inequality among G7 countries. What is it that makes income inequality such an intractable problem? In this class we will discuss when the current gap started, what made and sustains it, and what needs to happen to reverse the trend.
Suggested Reading: The Price of Inequality by JosephStiglitz