abstract: 'The conventional explanation of raising income inequality is often

  referred to as the market forces hypothesis. Global forces have led to

  structural economic changes in which we now have a two-tiered economy: a

  highly skilled and highly paid economy at the top of the income

  distribution and a poorly skilled and poorly paid economy at the bottom

  of the income distribution. In recent years, however, the conventional

  theory has been called into question by what can be characterized as the

  public policy hypothesis that holds that it is because of public policy,

  both active and passive, that labor market institutions that served to

  bolster incomes of the poor and middle class deteriorated. As a

  consequence of this deterioration, income inequality has only risen.

  Through an examination of data from the Current Population Survey during

  the 2000s, this article seeks to address to what extent these two

  hypotheses are related. Although there is no question that the data does

  support the market forces hypothesis, the data also show that these

  forces may have been exacerbated by the deterioration of important labor

  market institutions.'
affiliation: 'Levin-Waldman, OM (Corresponding Author), Metropolitan Coll New York,
  Sch Publ Affairs \& Adm, 60 West St, New York, NY 10006 USA.

  Levin-Waldman, Oren M., Metropolitan Coll New York, Publ Policy, New York, NY USA.

  Levin-Waldman, Oren M., Binzagr Inst Sustainable Prosper, Granville, OH USA.'
article-number: '2158244017704736'
author: Levin-Waldman, Oren M.
author-email: olevin-waldman@mcny.edu
author_list:
- family: Levin-Waldman
  given: Oren M.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1177/2158244017704736
files: []
issn: 2158-2440
journal: SAGE OPEN
keywords: minimum wage; unions; inequality; labor markets; wages; globalism
keywords-plus: WAGE INEQUALITY; INSTITUTIONS; RISE; EMPLOYMENT; GROWTH; INCOME
language: English
month: APR 27
number: '2'
number-of-cited-references: '60'
papis_id: 9b5a5b1d374d7cd2e48762645bd9f421
ref: Levinwaldman2017isinequality
times-cited: '1'
title: Is Inequality Designed or Preordained?
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000400524900001
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '3'
volume: '7'
web-of-science-categories: Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
year: '2017'