redistribution

South Africa remains the most unequal country in the world despite the end of apartheid thirty years ago. Racial inequalities have declined but these gains have largely benefited a new Black elite. Government redistribution is substantial and has ach...

Policy changes that raise aggregate welfare, but whose benefits are unevenly distributed, are often politically unfeasible. Politicians may recognise the overall gains from refugee integration, for example, but block visas or permits due to local peo...

Redistributive policies may exclude the poor because they can’t apply, and fixing this requires alleviating multiple constraints

In an era of deglobalisation, developing countries need more equality within their borders

Taxes on consumption help governments in developing countries redistribute thanks to the presence of large informal sectors

While democracy does represent a real shift in political power away from elites, its impact on inequality may be more limited than one might expect