Deepening Divide: Can Asia Beat the Menace of Rising Inequality?

Abstract

Development Asia examines Asia's widening inequality from many different perspectives. It looks at the role of globalization in producing inequality, and considers the disputed relationship between inequality and economic growth.

Beneath the gloss of Asia's newfound prosperity lies an unsettling reality. Rising inequality has denied the benefits of Asia's economic growth to many millions of its citizens. The problem is worsening as the region's rich get richer much faster than the poor, who miss out on the income, education, and health care they need to lead fulfilling lives.

Asia isn't the only region suff ering from a wealth gap, but unlike others it has failed so far to narrow the divide. Most of its large economies have shown rising income inequality since the 1990s, and rural poverty is outpacing urban poverty across much of the continent. If left unchecked, the consequences of this trend could be dire.

In this issue, Development Asia examines Asia's widening inequality from many different perspectives. It looks at the role of globalization in producing inequality, and considers the disputed relationship between inequality and economic growth.