RSF president Sheldon Danziger recently participated in a panel discussion titled “Consequences of Global Inequality” with Leila Janah (The Sama Group), Edmund Phelps (Columbia University), and Emira Woods (Thought Works) as part of the Blouin Creative Leadership Summit. Moderated by journalist Eduardo Porter of the New York Times, the panelists discussed the causes and consequences of the decades-long rise of economic inequality among industrialized nations, and in particular, the United States.

Danziger attributed the growing national interest in the topic of income inequality in the U.S. to economic shifts that occurred after the 1960s. Unlike the economic boom following World War II, which allowed many Americans to prosper, the country’s economic gains since the early 1970s have largely failed to reach the poor and the middle class. For several decades, wage increases for most workers have not kept up with inflation, and the social safety net has weakened considerably. As Danziger noted, “For the last thirty years, a rising tide has not lifted all boats.” He added, “The economy has become more hostile to the typical worker.”

The panelists also discussed policies that could alleviate the widening income gap, changes to the global labor market, and the role of the private sector in combating inequality.

Click here to visit the Blouin Creative Leadership Summit page.