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  5. The Elephant Curve of Global Inequality and Growth

AEA Papers and Proceedings

ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)

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The Elephant Curve of Global Inequality and Growth

  • Facundo Alvaredo
  • Lucas Chancel
  • Thomas Piketty
  • Emmanuel Saez
  • Gabriel Zucman
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 108, May 2018
(pp. 103–08)
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Abstract

We present new evidence on global inequality and growth since 1980 using the World and Wealth Income Database. We plot the curve of cumulated growth from 1980 to 2016 by percentile of the global distribution of income per adult. This curve has an elephant shape due to high growth rates at the median (fast growth in China and India), modest growth rates above the median, and explosive growth rates at the top. We project the evolution of global inequality between now and 2050 combining projected macro growth rates and within country inequality evolution based on past trends.

Citation

Alvaredo, Facundo, Lucas Chancel, Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez, and Gabriel Zucman. 2018. "The Elephant Curve of Global Inequality and Growth." AEA Papers and Proceedings 108: 103–08. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20181073

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • D31 Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions
  • D63 Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
  • O11 Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
  • O47 Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence