Perceiving Inequality

Posted: September 22nd, 2016

By Vladimir Gimpelson

Vladimir Gimpelson is the Director of the Centre for Labour Market Studies and Professor at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. He has studied various aspects of labour market development in the transition countries with special focus on Russia. Among his multiple publications are the book, The Russian Labour Market Between Transitions and Turmoil (with D.Lippoldt, Rowman and Littlefield), 2001, and papers in various international and Russian academic journals.

In the study of international conflicts, economic inequality is often identified as one of the key factors contributing towards political instability. Today, as studies identify rapidly rising wealth and income inequality across the world, many have predicted that higher levels of political and economic instability will surely follow. But just how close is the relationship between inequality and instability? The Cipher Brief spoke with Vladimir Gimpelson, Director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, to discuss the mechanics of that link, and the problems associated with the way we measure and interpret inequality statistics.

The Cipher Brief: There has been much talk in recent years of rising inequality across the world. How do you see the current state of global wealth and income inequality?

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