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Inequality and Poverty Are the rich really getting richer and the poor getting poorer? Presentation Martine Durand Deputy-Director OECD Directorate for Employment, Labor and Social Affairs

Event Description:

The gap between rich and poor has grown in more than three-quarters of OECD countries over the past two decades. In some countries, such as Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway and the United States, the gap also increased between the rich and the middle-class. This risks leaving more people behind in an ever-changing world economy.  

A key driver of income inequality has been the number of low-skilled and poorly educated who are out of work. More people living alone or in single-parent households has also contributed.

In her presentation, Martine Durand will present the findings of the OECD's report on income inequality and poverty, Growing Unequal?, and will touch on a number of issues, including:

• What contributed to widening income inequality?
• By how much do income taxes and government services reduce inequality?
• How is inequality linked to social mobility?

Biography:

Martine Durand has been Deputy-Director of the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs since 2002. She is responsible for overseeing the Directorate’s work on employment and labour market policies, social policies, health and international migration. Prior to that, she was Deputy-Head of the OECD Secretary-General’s Private Office and Senior Economist in the OECD Economics Department. Martine Durand has published extensively while at the OECD, including works on competitiveness, trade and general assessments of OECD member countries’ economic policies. Ms Durand holds degrees in mathematics, statistics and economics from the University Paris VI, the École Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Administration Économique (ENSAE) et the University of Wisconsin-Madison.