Econ of Poverty & Income Dist

Catalog description

In this course, we study several facets of income distribution and inequality in the United States through the lens of economic theory. Initially, we discuss the basics of income and wealth distribution (definitions and measurements), and study the trends and patterns of income, wealth and well-being, followed by a similar discussion with respect to poverty. The second portion of the course focuses on causes and explanations of poverty and income inequality. This section relies heavily on the foundation of labor economic theory with discussion of labor force participation, unemployment and human capital. Finally, we focus on policies that may cause or alleviate poverty and income inequality - both current and proposed policy - followed with a discussion of societal goals. If time permits, we also cover labor market discrimination and wage gaps, specifically with respect to race/ethnicity. This course is an upper-division Economics elective that also meets the Faith-Justice course studies criteria.