Unequal incomes, unequal outcomes? Economic inequality and measures of well-being: summary of observations and recommendations

This is a summary of the proceedings of the conference "Unequal incomes, unequal outcomes? Economic inequality and measures of well-being." The conference was held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on May 7, 1999. The conference was organized to focus on the evolution of more direct measures of the material well-being of Americans. Of particular concern was the impact of income inequality on trends in health, housing, and crime victimization. Conference participants also examined some of the changes in policymakers' responses to these trends, especially in the areas of education financing and local governance. Finally, the participants discussed efforts to evaluate the social consequences of policy reforms and offered some guidelines on the best direction for future research and policy initiatives.