<p>This is a very large subject and the relevant literature is wide too.</p>
<p>There are important economists as Daron Acemoglu or Robert Barro who dealt with the subject.</p>
<p>I give below some possible suggestions.</p>
<p>A <strong>recent survey of literature</strong> can be found for example here:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8374511/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8374511/</a></p>
<p><strong>A two volums book, edited by Stiglitz,</strong> deals with the subject:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.it/Inequality-Growth-Patterns-Concepts-Analysis/dp/1137554533/ref=sr_1_3?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&amp;crid=1B5LH126VZBJX&amp;keywords=stiglitz+inequality+and+growth&amp;qid=1694456410&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=stiglitz+inequality+and+growth%2Cstripbooks%2C142&amp;sr=1-3&amp;ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.9d4f9b77-768c-4a4e-94ad-33674c20ab35" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Inequality and Growth: Patterns and Policy, Basu  and Stiglitz eds. Vol. I</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.it/Inequality-Growth-Regions-Regularities-2/dp/1137554584/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&amp;crid=1B5LH126VZBJX&amp;keywords=stiglitz+inequality+and+growth&amp;qid=1694456741&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=stiglitz+inequality+and+growth%2Cstripbooks%2C142&amp;sr=1-2&amp;ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.9d4f9b77-768c-4a4e-94ad-33674c20ab35" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Inequality and Growth: Patterns and Policy, Basu  and Stiglitz eds. Vol. II</a></p>
<p>You can see also <strong>institutions as</strong> <a href="https://www.oecd.org/social/Focus-Inequality-and-Growth-2014.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">OECD</a> or <a href="https://www.nber.org/digest/aug99/inequality-and-growth" rel="nofollow noreferrer">NBER</a> or  <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2017/05/11/a-new-twist-in-the-link-between-inequality-and-economic-development" rel="nofollow noreferrer">IMF</a></p>
<p>As for the <strong>empirical aspects</strong>, you can see also the following paper by the Banca d'Italia and  its references:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/temi-discussione/2004/2004-0536/tema_536.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">An empirical investigation of the relationship
between inequality and growth</a></p>
<p><span class="math-container">$\;$</span></p>
<p>In general, but I suppose you know them, to find a bibliography and reviews of the literature about a subject in economics there is <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/econlit/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">EconLit</a> of the American Economic Association and the <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/journals/JEL" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Journal of Economic Literature</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-12T16:09:11.433Z
2023-09-12T18:17:38.420Z
2023-09-12T18:17:38.420Z
BakerStreet
<p>Specifically, I'd be very grateful if you may refer me to any literature treating <em>wealth or income inequality or both</em>, but the important thing is that it studies the relationship from a theoretical point of view, i.e. that it develops a mathematical model, preferably microfounded but it is not a requisite. Also, please refer only to &quot;mainstream&quot; literature (hopefully that term makes sense).</p>
<p>By &quot;literature&quot; I mean mostly papers or textbooks.</p>
<p>Please tell me if you need me to be more specific. I read <a href="https://economics.stackexchange.com/q/30246/27674">this</a> question, but it is more broad since it is asking for an answer to the topic not about the literature that <em>tries</em> to answer it, also seems like it does not have quality answers.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-12T11:31:57.670Z
Hi @manifold. Could you specify what you've read so far? It is possible that the journal article you've read (written by a specialist on the topic), is likely to yield a better lit. review than random suggestions here.
EB3112
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-14T21:18:01.357Z
Hi @EB3112. The thing is that I haven't actually read any literature. The reason I'm exploring is because in a conference about heterogeneous agent models in macro, it was said that this "new" kind of models where one can model the dynamics of income/wealth distributions have the potential to be useful for analyzing the kind of questions about the relationship with growht.
manifold
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-14T21:24:24.637Z
Hi @manifold. That's only because HANK models contain an income distribution of sorts, unlike RANK models. But HANK models are not the only way to gain insight into the relationship between growth and inequality/inequality and growth.
EB3112
<reference-request><economic-growth><inequality>
Literature exploring theoretically the relationship between inequality and economic growth
manifold
# Literature exploring theoretically the relationship between inequality and economic growth

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-09-11)

Specifically, I'd be very grateful if you may refer me to any literature treating *wealth or income inequality or both*, but the important thing is that it studies the relationship from a theoretical point of view, i.e. that it develops a mathematical model, preferably microfounded but it is not a requisite. Also, please refer only to "mainstream" literature (hopefully that term makes sense).

By "literature" I mean mostly papers or textbooks.

Please tell me if you need me to be more specific. I read [this](https://economics.stackexchange.com/q/30246/27674) question, but it is more broad since it is asking for an answer to the topic not about the literature that *tries* to answer it, also seems like it does not have quality answers.

Thank you!

**Tags:** reference-request, economic-growth, inequality

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hi @username_0. Could you specify what you've read so far? It is possible that the journal article you've read (written by a specialist on the topic), is likely to yield a better lit. review than random suggestions here.  
> **username_0**: Hi @username_1. The thing is that I haven't actually read any literature. The reason I'm exploring is because in a conference about heterogeneous agent models in macro, it was said that this "new" kind of models where one can model the dynamics of income/wealth distributions have the potential to be useful for analyzing the kind of questions about the relationship with growht.  
> **username_1**: Hi @username_0. That's only because HANK models contain an income distribution of sorts, unlike RANK models. But HANK models are not the only way to gain insight into the relationship between growth and inequality/inequality and growth.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-09-12. Score: 3

This is a very large subject and the relevant literature is wide too.

There are important economists as Daron Acemoglu or Robert Barro who dealt with the subject.

I give below some possible suggestions.

A **recent survey of literature** can be found for example here:

<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8374511/>

**A two volums book, edited by Stiglitz,** deals with the subject:

[Inequality and Growth: Patterns and Policy, Basu and Stiglitz eds. Vol. I](https://www.amazon.it/Inequality-Growth-Patterns-Concepts-Analysis/dp/1137554533/ref=sr_1_3?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=1B5LH126VZBJX&keywords=stiglitz+inequality+and+growth&qid=1694456410&s=books&sprefix=stiglitz+inequality+and+growth%2Cstripbooks%2C142&sr=1-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.9d4f9b77-768c-4a4e-94ad-33674c20ab35)

[Inequality and Growth: Patterns and Policy, Basu and Stiglitz eds. Vol. II](https://www.amazon.it/Inequality-Growth-Regions-Regularities-2/dp/1137554584/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=1B5LH126VZBJX&keywords=stiglitz+inequality+and+growth&qid=1694456741&s=books&sprefix=stiglitz+inequality+and+growth%2Cstripbooks%2C142&sr=1-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.9d4f9b77-768c-4a4e-94ad-33674c20ab35)

You can see also **institutions as** [OECD](https://www.oecd.org/social/Focus-Inequality-and-Growth-2014.pdf) or [NBER](https://www.nber.org/digest/aug99/inequality-and-growth) or [IMF](https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2017/05/11/a-new-twist-in-the-link-between-inequality-and-economic-development)

As for the **empirical aspects**, you can see also the following paper by the Banca d'Italia and its references:

[An empirical investigation of the relationship
between inequality and growth](https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/temi-discussione/2004/2004-0536/tema_536.pdf)

$\;$

In general, but I suppose you know them, to find a bibliography and reviews of the literature about a subject in economics there is [EconLit](https://www.aeaweb.org/econlit/) of the American Economic Association and the [Journal of Economic Literature](https://www.aeaweb.org/journals/JEL).


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