Paper · 2011 · advanced level
Top Incomes in the Long Run of History
Anthony B. Atkinson, Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez
- Venue
- Journal of Economic Literature, 49(1), 3–71
- DOI
- 10.1257/jel.49.1.3
- Link
- publisher / source page
Citation count not independently verified
We only publish a number when we have checked it ourselves. None was confirmed for this work at the last review.
In plain language
A survey extending the tax-data 'top incomes' method across 20+ countries, showing English-speaking countries reversed the mid-century inequality decline much more sharply than continental Europe or Japan.
Technical summary
Synthesizes top-income-share methodology and cross-country comparability issues (income definition, avoidance/evasion); documents institutional divergence in post-1980 top-share trajectories despite shared technology/trade shocks.
Key takeaways
- Inequality trends are not one global story — institutions (top tax rates, unionization, executive-pay norms) explain cross-country divergence.
Themes
Related works
- Income Inequality in the United States, 1913–1998 — Thomas Piketty & Emmanuel Saez, 2003