This lecture course aims at portraying the changes in income inequality, wealth inequality, employment gap between skilled and unskilled workers, and education inequality, observed in advanced countries. Its main objective is to present the economic mechanisms explaining growing inequalities in advanced economies since 1979.
After reviewing the different types of inequality and the way to measure them, the first part exposes the dynamics of income inequality, wealth inequality and employment inequality since the beginning of the 20th century. We then present the main theoretical explanations of growing inequality in advanced economies, and we wonder whether it is necessary to fight against inequality. We finally overview the public policies to reduce inequality.