Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Course Description
This course introduces students to how income, and its accumulation as wealth, is distributed
between individuals, as well as between classes of economic actors. We will review how
income inequality, wealth and poverty are measured, and what trends have emerged over
time. We will examine the impact of redistributive policies undertaken by governments, and
how various approaches to economic analysis address the causes of income inequality and the
implications of redistribution.
This course will draw selectively upon various approaches in economics including labour
economics, economic history, behavioural economics, and political economy. We will examine
empirical data and theoretical constructs regarding what explains the distribution of income.
We will also review normative conceptions as to what an idealized distribution of income
should be.
If you want to learn as much as you can from this course, you will need to do the readings,
attend and participate in all classes, and complete the assignments. I am available to meet
outside of class to assist you.
The format of our classes will vary depending on the number of students and the questions
were dealing with, but your class participation will always be important. In order to get the
most out of time in class, I recommend that you: a) read the required readings before class, b)
think about how ideas in the readings are connected to the topic, c) make note of any questions
you have, and d) bring your questions up in class.
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Class Schedule
Below is a planned schedule of topics and preliminary readings. Some topics will take longer to
cover than others. The order of the topics may be rearranged, and some topics may be dropped
based on time constraints. Required readings may also be adjusted. Please check the course
UM Learn website and your University of Manitoba e-mail account regularly.
1. Introduction
Conference Board of Canada (2014a)
Conference Board of Canada (2014b)
Campano and Salvatore (2006, pp.3-13)
2. The History of Growth and Distribution
Piketty (Ch.1, pp. 39-55, 59-71)
Piketty (Ch.2, pp.72-103, 106-109)
3. Wealth Accumulation: Measurement, Composition and Trends
Piketty (Ch.3, pp.116-120, 122-125, 131-139)
Piketty (Ch. 4, pp.146-163)
Piketty (Ch. 5, 164-191,195-198)
4. The Functional Distribution: Capital and Labour Shares of National Income
Piketty (Ch.6)
Glyn (2009)
Atkinson and Bourguignon (2000, pp.5-9)
5. Measuring Inequality
Cowell (Ch. 1, pp.1-2, 4-16)
Cowell (Ch. 2)
Piketty (Ch.7)
6. Income Inequality: Case Studies: Canada, France and the United States
Piketty (Ch. 8)
Heisz (2016, pp.77-89)
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A+
A
B+
B
90-100%
80-89%
75-79%
70-74%
C+
C
D
F
65-69%
60-64%
50-59%
0-49%
Value of
Final Grade
35%
25%
40%
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Please note:
1. Evaluative feedback will be provided prior to the voluntary withdrawal date
2. Students will not be permitted to write make-up tests or make-up missed assignments
without documented medical or compassionate reasons.
3. Students should acquaint themselves with the University's policy on plagiarism, cheating,
exam impersonation, and duplicate submission by reading documentation provided at the
Arts Student Resources web site at:
http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/student/student_responsibilities.html
4. Ignorance of the regulations and policies regarding academic integrity is not a valid excuse
for violating them. If you have any questions about this, please speak to me.
5. Students appealing any term work (formally or informally) must do so within 10 working
days of receiving their mark.
6. All final grades are subject to departmental review.
7. Students are responsible for all material covered in class.
8. Any term work will be held for four months from the end of the final examination period for
the term in which the work was assigned. At the conclusion of this time, all unclaimed term
work will be destroyed according to FIPPA guidelines.
Penalties for Academic Dishonesty:
The common penalty in Arts for plagiarism on a written assignment is a grade of F on the paper
and a final grade of F (DISC) (for disciplinary action) for the course. For the most serious acts of
plagiarism, such as purchase of an essay and repeat violations, this penalty can also include
suspension for a period of up to five (5) years from registration in courses taught in a particular
department/program in Arts or from all courses taught in this Faculty. The Faculty also reserves
the right to submit student work that is suspected of being plagiarized to Internet sites
designed to detect plagiarism or to other experts for authentication.
The common penalty in Arts for academic dishonesty on a test or examination is F for the
paper, F (DISC) for the course, and a one-year suspension from courses acceptable for credit in
the Faculty. For more serious acts of academic dishonesty on a test or examination, such as
repeat violations, this penalty can also include suspension for a period of up to five years from
registration in courses taught in a particular department or program in Arts or from all courses
taught in or accepted for credit by this Faculty.
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The paper will also be graded partially based on correct APA formatting (cover page, intext citations, etc.) and how clearly you communicate your ideas (this includes writing
quality, spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc.).
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References
Atkinson, A. B., & Bourguignon, F. (2000). Introduction: Income distribution and economics. In
A. B. Atkinson, & F. Bourguignon (Eds.), Handbook of income distribution (1st ed., pp. 1-58).
Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Bowles, S. (2012). The new economics of inequality and redistribution. (pp. 1-33). New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Campano, F., & Salvatore, D. (2006). Income distribution. New York: Oxford University Press.
Campano, F., & Salvatore, D. (2006). Introduction. Income Distribution (pp. 1-13). New York:
Oxford University Press.
Conference Board of Canada. (2015). How Canada performs: Inequality. Retrieved from
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/society/income-inequality.aspx
Conference Board of Canada. (2015). How Canada performs: Working-age poverty. Retrieved
from http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/society/working-age-poverty.aspx
Cowell, F. (2011). Measuring inequality (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Durlauf, S. N. (2006). Groups, social influences, and inequality. In S. Bowles, S. N. Durlauf & K.
Hoff (Eds.), Poverty traps (pp. 141-175). Princeton: Princeton UP / Russel Sage Foundation.
Foley, K., & Green, D. A. (2016). Why more education will not solve rising inequality (and may
make it worse). In D. A. Green, W. C. Riddell & F. St-Hilaire (Eds.), Income inequality: The
Canadian story (pp. 347-398). Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy. Retrieved
from http://irpp.org/research-studies/aots5-foley-green/
Glyn, A. (2011). Functional distribution and inequality. In W. Salverda, B. T. Nolan & T. M.
Smeeding (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of economic inequality (pp. 101-126). Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Heisz, A. (2016). Trends in income inequality in Canada and elsewhere. In D. A. Green, W. C.
Riddell & F. St-Hilaire (Eds.), Income inequality: The Canadian story (pp. 77-102). Montreal:
Institute for Research on Public Policy. Retrieved from http://irpp.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/01/aots5-heisz.pdf
Heisz, A., & Murphy, B. (2016). The role of taxes and transfers in reducing income inequality. In
D. A. Green, W. C. Riddell & F. St-Hilaire (Eds.), Income inequality: The Canadian story (pp.
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