Washington State University, Econs 102, Section 2, Christopher
Weizhong Liu
ID: 11487094
Writing Assignment #1
Why Has Income Inequality Been Rising Since the 1970’s?
The propositions that look for the causes of growing inequality in the US either in the dependency culture or in the biased the government policy are entirely inconsistent with the findings of David Autor. However, the statement that Americans are falling behind because of laziness can be viewed as slightly resonant with the article if laziness should be interpreted as unwillingness to enhance one’s skills rather than to work in general. In his article, Autor claims that the major reason for rising inequality in the US is the recent drastic growth of the wage premium related to higher education and …show more content…
Quite to the contrary, he suggests that the measures taken by the government in the 1980s and the 1990s (such as developing student grant and loan programs) might have helped to save the earnings mobility from expected decline. The inequality has been growing not due to some purposeful policy but due to natural changes in the industry that called forth larger demand for qualified workers. At the same time, Autor does not deny that efficient public policy could be helpful to decrease the inequality in the US. The measures he considers the most beneficial are those that can cultivate the skills of the next generations, such as increasing the quality of school education, providing broader access to postsecondary education, improving public health and nutrition. Implementation of progressive tax policies and setting of new minimum wage rules are identified by the author as some of the more nearer-term measures that can improve the situation. Therefore, the second proposition is compatible with the article of Autor only as far as policy suggestions are
Weizhong Liu
ID: 11487094
Writing Assignment #1
Why Has Income Inequality Been Rising Since the 1970’s?
The propositions that look for the causes of growing inequality in the US either in the dependency culture or in the biased the government policy are entirely inconsistent with the findings of David Autor. However, the statement that Americans are falling behind because of laziness can be viewed as slightly resonant with the article if laziness should be interpreted as unwillingness to enhance one’s skills rather than to work in general. In his article, Autor claims that the major reason for rising inequality in the US is the recent drastic growth of the wage premium related to higher education and …show more content…
Quite to the contrary, he suggests that the measures taken by the government in the 1980s and the 1990s (such as developing student grant and loan programs) might have helped to save the earnings mobility from expected decline. The inequality has been growing not due to some purposeful policy but due to natural changes in the industry that called forth larger demand for qualified workers. At the same time, Autor does not deny that efficient public policy could be helpful to decrease the inequality in the US. The measures he considers the most beneficial are those that can cultivate the skills of the next generations, such as increasing the quality of school education, providing broader access to postsecondary education, improving public health and nutrition. Implementation of progressive tax policies and setting of new minimum wage rules are identified by the author as some of the more nearer-term measures that can improve the situation. Therefore, the second proposition is compatible with the article of Autor only as far as policy suggestions are