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Do Rising Top Incomes Lift All Boats?

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Jencks Top Incomes Floating Boats.pdf (418.64 KB)

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2009

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http://web.hks.harvard.edu/publications/workingpapers/citation.aspx?PubId=6695

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Andrews, Daniel, Christopher Jencks, and Andrew Leigh. 2009. Do Rising Top Incomes Lift All Boats? HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP09-018, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Abstract

Pooling data for 1905 to 2000, we find no systematic relationship between top income shares and economic growth in a panel of 12 developed nations observed for between 22 and 85 years. After 1960, however, a one percentage point rise in the top decile’s income share is associated with a statistically significant 0.12 point rise in GDP growth during the following year. This relationship is not driven by changes in either educational attainment or top tax rates. If the increase in inequality is permanent, the increase in growth appears to be permanent, but it takes 13 years for the cumulative positive effect of faster growth on the mean income of the bottom nine deciles to offset the negative effect of reducing their share of total income.

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DEV - International Development, Economic Growth, Inequality, SUP - Social and Urban Policy, Labor Economics, Poverty and Inequality, Demographics

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This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material (LAA), as set forth at Terms of Service

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http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:4415903

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