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Income Inequality - The Gap between Rich and Poor

Measuring Well-being in Mexican States

Middle-class economics

In 2014, the US economy added more jobs than in any year since the 1990s. In fact, this longest streak of job growth on record has persisted into 2015. Inflation-adjusted wages are up by 1.4% annually over the last two years, more than twice the pace of the last recovery. But this is still not enough to make up for decades of subpar gains for middle-class families–a challenge shared by many other OECD economies.

Business brief: Who cares for the caregivers

Consistent careers are a hallmark of a successful retirement. However, too often, workers are called away from employment to care for loved ones, both young and old. Without adequate government or employer protections, workers risk losing valuable years of prime income earning and retirement contribution potential, while being paid nothing to take care of sick or disabled family.

Baltimore: Smacked Down by the Invisible Hand - Insights Blog

The recent riots in Baltimore following the death of Freddy Gray bring a tragic focus, once again, on inequality. Maryland’s largest city, Baltimore is a perfect laboratory to study it, thanks in part to the superb comparative statistics the city keeps. OECD Insights Blog.

Focus on Minimum wages after the crisis: Making them pay (PDF, 12-pages)

Three out of four OECD countries use minimum wages, and supporting low-wage earners is widely seen as important for promoting inclusive growth. This policy brief considers three aspects that are central for a balanced assessment of policy choices: The cost of employing minimum-wage workers, their take-home pay, and the number of workers affected.

Senescence in the City - OECD Insights blog

Blog: Anecdotal evidence suggests there are loads of grumpy old men and women around. A new, evidence-based report from the OECD offers some clues as to why this should be.

NEET Youth in the Aftermath of the Crisis (OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working papers, N°164)

This paper presents an overview of the situation of youth in OECD countries since the financial crisis, describing the characteristics and living conditions of young NEETs. It provides data on income-support policies for young people, and summarises available evidence on the impact of interventions that aim at improving the social, education and employment situation of the most disadvantaged youth.

Colombia: An in-depth reform of the pension system would reduce old-age poverty and inequality

Around two thirds of the elderly don’t have a pension and the benefit of the minimum old-age income support is below the national poverty line. An in-depth reform of the pension system would reduce old-age poverty and inequality.

An exploration of the determinants of the subjective well-being of Americans during the Great Recession

This paper uses data from the American Life Panel to understand the determinants of well-being in the United States during the Great Recession. It investigates how various dimensions of subjective well-being reflected in the OECD Better Life Framework impact subjective well-being.