СВЯЗЬ НЕРАВЕНСТВА ДОХОДОВ И НАУЧНО-ТЕХНИЧЕСКОГО ПРОГРЕССА С ТОЧКИ ЗРЕНИЯ ПОЛИТЭКОНОМИИ

Abstract

The article analyzes the views of scientists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries on the question of whether there is a connection between income inequality and the development of the digital economy. Based on an analysis of the works of Lawrence F. Katz, David Autor, David Deming, Dani Rodrik, Robert Solow, Joseph Schumpeter and Klaus Schwab, the author answers the research question – what factors are determining for the generation of inequality in the digital economy. As such factors, the author identifies globalization, a reduction in the share of labor in the world GDP with a simultaneous reduction of the capital profitability, an increase in economic rent from the possession of technology, and a greater profitability for capital compared to labor from the introduction of technology. As a result of a comparative analysis of the concepts set out in the works of the above mentioned authors, it is concluded that they all recognize the fact that as a result of the introduction of new technologies, there is an increase in inequality. It was also found that the IT industry is developing according to the same laws as conventional production. As a new technology is widely introduced, it becomes «routinized,» and accordingly, as a large number of workers master the technology, wages fall. Moreover, the development of technology can, in principle, lead to layoffs of workers, which further deepens the problem of inequality. To verify the results of the analysis, the author analyzed statistical indicators for achieving SDG 10 «Reducing inequality within and between countries» based on the annual UN Sustainability Report. It was found that the target will not be achieved by 2030, but it significantly lays behind the other 16 SDGs. Thus, the author’s hypothesis about the growth of income inequality under the influence of digitalization processes is confirmed.