Around the Institute

Why the Current Thinking on Income Inequality is Wrong

May 28, 2014

The International Monetary Fund’s First Deputy Managing Director David Lipton recently spoke about the global economy at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC. We sat down with Lipton before the Washington Ideas Roundtables Series event, where he discussed income inequality and his big idea for addressing it at an international level.

“Much of what people think about dealing with [income] inequality is wrong,” Lipton said, “it’s based on the wrong theory.” Below, watch Lipton explain the nuances of income inequality within a country versus across continents, how addressing the issue can also spur economic growth, and the IMF’s latest research in making change.