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A new Institute for Policy Studies report finds that private jets, used by a small fraction of Americans, receive significant taxpayer-funded subsidies and infrastructure support despite their outsized carbon footprint. The study argues that ordinary taxpayers effectively help cover the costs of a travel mode overwhelmingly used by the wealthy.
A Pew Research survey of over 42,000 people across 37 countries, conducted between February and May, found that a majority in 34 nations believe AI will destroy more jobs than it creates over the next two decades. Concern is highest in wealthier nations such as Australia, South Korea, and the US, and most respondents also expect AI to widen the gap between rich and poor.
A newly launched interactive analysis built on BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey data from 2000-2024 finds that the bottom 50% of U.S. households by income spend more than they earn once essential costs are covered. The tool reproduces official quintile-level averages for income, taxes and spending exactly, while offering adjustable what-if scenarios for finer breakdowns like deciles, childcare costs, and wealth taxes that aren't directly reported by BLS. It also flags several data inconsistencies, such as a 2013 methodology shift in tax estimation and missing 2024 after-tax figures, and includes inflation-adjusted projections for 2025-2026 since BLS hasn't yet published that data.
A Nature commentary co-authored by economist Joseph Stiglitz and UNAIDS chief Winnie Byanyima proposes creating an International Panel on Inequality (IPI), a roughly 40-member expert body that would synthesize research on income and wealth gaps for policymakers. The proposal already has support from the UN, the African Union, and more than 700 scholars, with South Africa, Brazil, Spain and Norway backing it. The commentary cites data showing the richest 1% captured 41% of new wealth created between 2000 and 2024, versus just 1% for the poorest half of the world.
A new study finds that the wealthiest tier of billionaires—so-called 'super billionaires'—has seen its portion of global wealth grow roughly fourfold over the past ten years. The report also profiles the typical billionaire as a 71-year-old man whose fortune continues expanding even as overall billionaire numbers rise worldwide.
A group of researchers, including members of the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality convened by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, has proposed creating an International Panel on Inequality (IPI). The body would function like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, systematically reviewing evidence on the scale, causes and effects of inequality and assessing which policies actually reduce it. A founding committee has already begun developing the proposal after it was presented to G20 governments earlier this year.
Two recent reports—the World Inequality Lab's Global Justice Report and a UN High-Level Expert Group's Beyond GDP recommendations—have reignited debate over whether nations should deprioritize economic growth in favor of other measures of well-being. A commentary argues both reports miss the real issue: whether governments are leaving future generations richer or poorer, not simply how fast economies grow or how well-being is measured.
Startups like Prenuvo and Neko Health are selling elective full-body MRI diagnostics to wealthy clients, with prices ranging from $2,500 to $4,000 per scan promising detection of hundreds of conditions. This luxury health trend is expanding even as a growing share of Americans, now 36 percent according to a KFF survey, report skipping doctor visits due to cost.