The Equitable Economy

Global Declining Competition

Studies of the evolution of market power since 2000 have focused mostly on publicly traded US firms. This column introduces a new global study...

Towards the Giant Three: The Rise and Rise of the Big Three Index Funds

The Big Three index fund managers—BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street Global Advisors—hold a significant proportion of the stock of US public companies, and they...

How Offshoring by Multinational Corporations Contributed to the Decline of US Manufacturing

The offshoring activities of multinational firms explain about one-third of the aggregate decline in US manufacturing employment, according to a new study.  Between 1990 and...

Angus Deaton: Today’s Inequalities Are Signs That Democratic Capitalism Is Under Threat

At the launch of the IFS Deaton Review, a 5-year review of rising inequalities in the UK, Sir Angus Deaton decried extreme inequality and the...

Dear Graduates, Here’s What You Can Do to Change Capitalism For the Better

Delivering UChicago’s 532nd Convocation address, Luigi Zingales advised young graduates to embrace their power as consumers, workers, and citizens and fight corporate monopolies. Dear...

Basic Income as a Policy Lever: Can UBI Reduce Crime?

What would the effect of a universal basic income be on crime? A new study looks into Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend and suggests that...

The Real “China Shock”: Political Fallout from Slowing Exports in China

As China’s export growth has slowed down over the past five years, workers have responded by taking to the streets with increasing frequency. The...

Do the Sons of Rich Families Recover After a Large Wealth Shock? Evidence From the US Civil War

One striking feature of many underdeveloped societies is that economic power is concentrated in the hands of very small powerful elites. Why is it...

When American Capitalism Meant Equality

Americans used to have a relatively egalitarian view of markets. How did they come to accept extreme inequality as an innate part of their...

Wealth Inequality in America: A Race Between the Stock and the Housing Market

Booming stock markets and the collapse of house prices in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis have increased wealth inequality in the US...

Latest news