
Reason for shift of the U.S. income distribution in last two decades.

Explanation of Solution
In recent decades(from 1980s onward), the share of income earning by the top fifth has increased, and the share earnings by the bottom fifth has declined. The richest fifth’s share of income increased from 43.7 percent in 19900= to 51.1 percent in 2014. The foremost contributor to the larger share of income earning by the highest group has been the growth of two-earner households in that top group.
Note that in the top quantile, almost three out of the four households have two or more than two working. A major contributor to the smallest share earned by the lowest group has been the growth of single parent household in the bottom group.
Because of significant reduction in the marginal tax rates (in 1990 and 1996), high-income people had no incentive to engage in avoidance of tax, so their reported income increased. This boosted the share of reported earned income by the richest 5 percent of the households.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Chapter 18 Solutions
ECON MICRO (with MindTap, 1 term (6 months) Printed Access Card) (New, Engaging Titles from 4LTR Press)
- Answerarrow_forwardM” method Given the following model, solve by the method of “M”. (see image)arrow_forwardAs indicated in the attached image, U.S. earnings for high- and low-skill workers as measured by educational attainment began diverging in the 1980s. The remaining questions in this problem set use the model for the labor market developed in class to walk through potential explanations for this trend. 1. Assume that there are just two types of workers, low- and high-skill. As a result, there are two labor markets: supply and demand for low-skill workers and supply and demand for high-skill workers. Using two carefully drawn labor-market figures, show that an increase in the demand for high skill workers can explain an increase in the relative wage of high-skill workers. 2. Using the same assumptions as in the previous question, use two carefully drawn labor-market figures to show that an increase in the supply of low-skill workers can explain an increase in the relative wage of high-skill workers.arrow_forward
- Published in 1980, the book Free to Choose discusses how economists Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman proposed a one-sided view of the benefits of a voucher system. However, there are other economists who disagree about the potential effects of a voucher system.arrow_forwardThe following diagram illustrates the demand and marginal revenue curves facing a monopoly in an industry with no economies or diseconomies of scale. In the short and long run, MC = ATC. a. Calculate the values of profit, consumer surplus, and deadweight loss, and illustrate these on the graph. b. Repeat the calculations in part a, but now assume the monopoly is able to practice perfect price discrimination.arrow_forwardThe projects under the 'Build, Build, Build' program: how these projects improve connectivity and ease of doing business in the Philippines?arrow_forward
- Principles of Economics 2eEconomicsISBN:9781947172364Author:Steven A. Greenlaw; David ShapiroPublisher:OpenStax
- Essentials of Economics (MindTap Course List)EconomicsISBN:9781337091992Author:N. Gregory MankiwPublisher:Cengage LearningBrief Principles of Macroeconomics (MindTap Cours...EconomicsISBN:9781337091985Author:N. Gregory MankiwPublisher:Cengage LearningEconomics Today and Tomorrow, Student EditionEconomicsISBN:9780078747663Author:McGraw-HillPublisher:Glencoe/McGraw-Hill School Pub Co





