| Author: | Roine, J. Waldenström, D. |
| Title: | The evolution of top incomes in an egalitarian society: Sweden, 1903-2004 |
| Journal: | Journal of Public Economics
2008 : FEB, VOL. 92:1-2, p. 366-387 |
| Index terms: | incomes inequality income distribution wealth taxation welfare state Sweden Nordic countries Scandinavia |
| Freeterms: | capital gains |
| Language: | eng |
| Abstract: | This study presents new homogenous series of top income shares in Sweden from 1903 to 2004. It is found that, starting from levels of inequality approximately equal to those in other Western countries at the time, the income share of the Swedish top decile drops sharply over the first 80 years of the 20th century. Most of the decrease takes place before the expansion of the welfare state and by 1950 Swedish top income shares were already lower than in other countries. Sweden's experience resembles that in the U.S. and the U.K. with sharp increases in top incomes. Excluding capital gains, Sweden looks more like the continental European countries with top income shares remaining relatively constant etc. |
SCIMA