Sep 12 3 charts that explain the rise in U.S. household income By Gretchen Frazee The median household income rose in 2017 for the third straight year, although disparities among racial groups persisted. Continue reading
Feb 28 Watch 8:11 ‘Plague of inequality’ haunts U.S. 50 years after a landmark study on racial division By PBS News Hour This weeks marks the 50th anniversary of the Kerner Commission, a bipartisan assessment of race in America that revealed the nation to be both separate and unequal. A half century later, a new report takes stock of what we’ve begun… Continue watching
Oct 26 Watch 9:12 Where you grow up matters in an unequal economy. Here’s how. By Paul Solman Is geographic mobility the key to moving up the economic ladder? Economists are finding that the odds no longer favor American kids in doing better than their parents, but some hope that uprooting their families and moving to safer streets… Continue watching
Jun 29 Watch 6:55 How globalization affects inequality and populism in one chart By PBS News Hour The hottest curve in economics right now helps explain the rise of China, the rise of populism in Europe and the rise of Donald Trump. From a global perspective, income inequality has gone down. But if you're middle class in… Continue watching
Jun 29 The hottest chart in economics, and what it means By Paul Solman The "elephant chart" explains the rise of populism in the developed world and so much more. Continue reading
Jun 16 Column: The only conquerors of inequality are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse By Walter Scheidel Walter Scheidel argues that economic inequality is not only inevitable, but that whenever inequality has been reduced, the reasons forcing inequality down have been nothing short of horrific. Continue reading
Jun 08 Column: How much do the poor actually pay in taxes? Probably more than you think. By Vanessa Williamson Those making less than $19,000 a year pay almost 11 percent of their income in state and local taxes. Here's why that matters. Continue reading
Jun 02 Column: ‘The New Urban Crisis’ is a crisis of capitalism, writ large By Richard Florida Are cities the great engines of innovation, the models of economic and social progress that the optimists celebrate, or are they the zones of gaping inequality and class division that the pessimists decry? The reality is that they are both. Continue reading
Jun 01 Is the ‘creative class’ saving our cities, or making them impossible to live in? By Paul Solman The clustering of the "creative class" -- professionals in the arts, in the media, in tech -- has brought growth and innovation to cities, but has also led to "the new urban crisis," author Richard Florida tells the NewsHour's Paul… Continue reading
Jan 16 Watch 7:29 Why so many students from for-profit schools are left in debt limbo By PBS News Hour Students who attend for-profit college and training programs are more likely to borrow, borrow more and struggle to repay their loans. Not only that, but the overall graduation rate at for-profit institutions is just 27 percent. Meanwhile, a number of… Continue watching