The Politics of Income Inequality in the United States

Erscheinungsjahr 2009
ISBN: 978-0-521-51458-3
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 216 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 510 g

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 US 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. Whereas 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.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kelly, Nathan J

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Soziale Ungleichheit, Armut, Rassismus
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Volkswirtschaftslehre Allgemein Beschäftigung, Arbeitslosigkeit
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Staats- und Regierungsformen, Staatslehre
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Volkswirtschaftslehre Allgemein Arbeitsmarkt
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Internationale Wirtschaft Volkswirtschaften einzelner Länder und Regionen
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik Wirtschafts- und Finanzpolitik
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik Innen-, Bildungs- und Bevölkerungspolitik
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Wirtschaftspolitik, politische Ökonomie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Explaining income inequality; 2. The distributional force of government; 3. Political conflict over 'who gets what?'; 4. Party dynamics and income inequality; 5. Macro policy and distributional processes; 6. Who gets what and how; 7. Distribution, redistribution, and the future of American politics.

Über Autor(innen)

Kelly, Nathan J
Nathan J. Kelly is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Tennessee. He received an MA and Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a BA from Wheaton College (IL). He is the winner of the Raymond Dawson Fellowship and the James Prothro Award from the University of North Carolina Department of Political Science and was named a finalist for the E. E. Schattschneider Award for the best dissertation in American politics, awarded by the American Political Science Association. His research, supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation, has appeared in various journals, including the American Journal of Political Science and Political Analysis.