Abstract
As economic inequality in Europe has continued to rise, it has become the subject of increasing academic attention. What are the drivers of inequality? How does it affect intergenerational economic and social mobility? At what point does inequality become a drag on economic growth or a threat to social order? What economic policy tools are available to reduce inequality? This Forum addresses these and other aspects of this complex and disturbing trend. Case studies of Ireland, Germany and Spain also highlight the impact of economic inequality on individual member states.
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We are grateful to the Central Statistics Offi ce for access to the SILC data. Thanks also to participants at seminars in Bonn, Dublin, Maynooth, Washington and Brussels for helpful comments. Responsibility for the analysis and interpretation of these data rests with the authors.
The opinions and analysis here are the responsibility of the authors and, therefore, do not necessarily coincide with those of the Banco de España or the Eurosystem.
This contribution draws on work performed in the context of the EU FP7 GINI Project. More analysis is available in the form of GINI Discussion Papers and Report. Two volumes with GINI research fi ndings will be published by Oxford University Press in 2014, as B. Nolan, W. Salverda, D. Checci, I. Marx, A. McKnight, I. Toth, H. Vander Werfhorst (eds.): Changing Inequalities and Societal Impacts in Rich Countries: Analytical and Comparative Perspectives, Oxford 2014, Oxford University Press; and W. Salverda, B. Nolan, D. Checci, I. Marx, A. McKnight, I. Toth, H. Vander Werfhorst (eds.): Changing Inequalities and Societal Impacts in Rich Countries: Thirty Countries’ Experiences, Oxford 2014, Oxford University Press.
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Franzini, M., Raitano, M., Callan, T. et al. Inequality in Europe: What can be done? What should be done?. Intereconomics 48, 328–356 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10272-013-0477-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10272-013-0477-4