Melina Kolb (MSJ09)

For decades, the gap between the rich and poor in high-income economies has been expanding, particularly in the United States. The lowest earners were being left behind before COVID-19 hit, but the twin shocks of an acute health crisis and a global recession are widening divisions, raising moral, social, economic, and political challenges.

This longform digital feature studies the rise of inequality over 50 years, how policy failures left millions vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, and what governments can do to rebuild more equitable societies.

The guide draws together research from the world’s leading experts, covering areas such as tax policy, education and safety net expansion, income support, and health care, building on the groundbreaking 2019 Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) conference, “Combating Inequality,” organized by Olivier Blanchard (PIIE) and Dani Rodrik (Harvard University), and later work from attending experts.