Rising economic inequality will remain a pressing global problem in 2019 - it drags down growth and destabilises societies, putting low- to middle-income earners in increasingly precarious situations as fewer people control a growing share of income and wealth, writes Allianz Global Investors' Karl Happe.
While the biggest impact is on those on the lower end of the economic spectrum, economic inequality has ramifications for everyone. Government revenue streams are becoming stretched as tax coffers shrink and welfare expenses rise; this can reduce the level and quality of government services across the board. And, as the divide between the ‘haves' and ‘have-nots' expands, resurgent populism is threatening to create headwinds for economies and markets. Given these tensions, couldn't we construct an economic model that maintains the benefits of capitalist production while limiting its tende...
To continue reading this article...
Join Investment Week for free
- Unlimited access to real-time news, analysis and opinion from the investment industry, including the Sustainable Hub covering fund news from the ESG space
- Get ahead of regulatory and technological changes affecting fund management
- Important and breaking news stories selected by the editors delivered straight to your inbox each day
- Weekly members-only newsletter with exclusive opinion pieces from leading industry experts
- Be the first to hear about our extensive events schedule and awards programmes