This volume is mainly concerned with methods of estimating income elasticity. It is connected with economic development that can be achieved by reducing income inequality, a highly relevant subject in today’s world for a wide range of policy areas.

The book describes the practical process of economic growth both in developed and less developed countries, and presents a unified theory of growth from the earliest stages to the most advanced. Central to the theory is the structural transformation which is associated with the growth process. This structural transformation is used to explain the logistic pattern that economic growth has followed in the real world. Within this logistic pattern, growth performance is explained both in terms of supply factors and demand factors, and the interaction between them. The influence of inflation and income distribution on economic growth is also discussed.

This paper analyzes the extent of income inequality from a global perspective, its drivers, and what to do about it. The drivers of inequality vary widely amongst countries, with some common drivers being the skill premium associated with technical change and globalization, weakening protection for labor, and lack of financial inclusion in developing countries. We find that increasing the income share of the poor and the middle class actually increases growth while a rising income share of the top 20 percent results in lower growth—that is, when the rich get richer, benefits do not trickle down. This suggests that policies need to be country specific but should focus on raising the income share of the poor, and ensuring there is no hollowing out of the middle class. To tackle inequality, financial inclusion is imperative in emerging and developing countries while in advanced economies, policies should focus on raising human capital and skills and making tax systems more progressive.

The aim of this book is to explain the post-war growth of the public sector in a number of developed economies. The purpose is to see whether scientists familiar with their respective countries' institutional, political and economic framework, but still working as a group, can advance some common factors behind the growth of government.