The Politics of Income Inequality in the United States

by Nathan J. Kelly

• ISBN13: 9780521514583
• ISBN10: 0521514584
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-03-30
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book revolves around one central question: Do political dynamics have a systematic and predictable influence on distributional outcomes in the United States? The answer is a resounding yes. Utilizing data from mass income surveys, elite surveys, and aggregate time series, as well as theoretical insights from both American and comparative politics, Kelly shows that income inequality is a fundamental part of the U.S. macro political system. Shifts in public opinion, party control of government, and the ideological direction of policy all have important consequences for distributional outcomes. Specifically, shifts to the left produce reductions in inequality through two mechanisms - explicit redistribution and market conditioning. While many previous studies focus only on the distributional impact of redistribution, this book shows that such a narrow strategy is misguided. In fact, market mechanisms matter far more than traditional redistribution in translating macro political shifts into distributional outcomes.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. vii
List of Tables	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Explaining Income Inequality	p. 1
Equality and Inequality in the World's Richest Country	p. 2
Trends in U.S. Income Inequality	p. 9
Theoretical Foundations: Political Dynamics and Distributional Outcomes	p. 12
An Outline of the Book	p. 20
The Distributional Force of Government	p. 23
Mechanisms of Distributional Impact	p. 23
Conclusion	p. 48
Political Conflict over "Who Gets What?"	p. 51
A Case Study in Distributional Debate: The Marriage Tax "Penalty"	p. 52
Systematic Evidence of the Partisan and Ideological Divide over Distributional Outcomes	p. 66
Conclusion	p. 78
Party Dynamics and Income Inequality	p. 79
A Theory of Distribution and Redistribution in the United States	p. 80
Assessing the Effect of Market and Political Power Resources on Distributional Outcomes	p. 93
Conclusion	p. 116
Macro Policy and Distributional Processes	p. 118
Micro and Macro: The Logic of Macro Politics	p. 119
Macro Politics, Power Resources, and the Distributional Consequences of Policy	p. 122
Conceptualizing and Measuring Macro Policy: Micro vs. Macro	p. 126
Policy and Distributional Outcomes, 1947-2000	p. 130
Conclusion	p. 134
Putting the Pieces Together: Who Gets What and How	p. 136
A More Complete Picture of Politics and Income Inequality	p. 137
The Comprehensive Model: A Simultaneous Equation Approach	p. 142
Does Politics Really Matter?	p. 156
Conclusion	p. 161
Distribution, Redistribution, and the Future of American Politics	p. 162
How Does Politics Influence Who Gets What?	p. 162
American Inequality in the Twenty-First Century: Looking Forward	p. 170
Congressional Questionnaire	p. 175
Measuring Income Inequality over Time	p. 177
Bibliography	p. 185
Index	p. 191
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