The welfare of a nation can scarcely be inferred from a measurement of national income as defined by the GDP.
Simon KuznetsRead
Does inequality in the distribution of income increase or decrease in the course of a country's economic growth?
Interpretation
The quote questions whether economic growth leads to greater or lesser income inequality within a country.
Simon Kuznets' quote poses a critical inquiry regarding the relationship between economic growth and income inequality. It suggests that as a country develops economically, the distribution of wealth may either become more unequal or more equal over time. This idea challenges policymakers and economists to consider how growth impacts social structures and equity, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of economic policies and their social implications.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about economic policy reforms at a conference.
The welfare of a nation can scarcely be inferred from a measurement of national income as defined by the GDP.
People stop buying things, and that is how you turn a slowdown into a recession.
You know, I think of the global economy as an inverted triangle, resting on the shoulders of the American consumer. And if the American consumer cannot have enough disposable income in order to maintain a standard of living that creates more opportunities generation after generation, that's bad for everybody.
Most of economics can be summarized in four words: 'People respond to incentives.' The rest is commentary.
In the 1940s, economics started getting highly mathematical. It was basically because economists weren't smart enough to write down models of real behavior that they started writing down models of highly rational behavior - and they kind of forgot about humans.
The real bosses, in the capitalist system of market economy, are the consumers.
Automation provides us with wondrous increases of production and information, but does it tell us what to do with the men the machines displace? Modern industry gives us the capacity for unparalleled wealth - but where is our capacity to make that wealth meaningful to the poor of every nation?
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