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Who are the very wealthy and how do they acquire their wealth? Why is poverty still with us after three decades of antipoverty programs? What explains rising inequality in the distribution of income? What types of welfare reform are most likely to succeed? These are just a few of the questions that we will be addressing in this course using cross-country comparisons, perspectives from economic history, and the tools of modern-day economic analysis. The problem of scarcity and the question of production for whom are basic to the study of economics. Virtually all courses in economics address this topic. Yet few study the distribution of income among households in depth. This course takes a close look at evidence on the existing distribution o f income and at the market and nonmarket forces behind the allocation process. A central topic throughout the course is the role of policy in changing the level of poverty and inequality. Specific topics to be covered include the following: the normati ve debates surrounding the notions of equality and inequality, analytic tools for measuring and explaining income inequality, determinants of wage income and property income, the importance of inheritance, the feminization of poverty, and policy options f or reducing poverty.
Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS ECON Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: ECON300 OR ECON270
Last Updated on MAR-19-2002
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459