The Distribution of Income and Wealth in Ireland

Abstract

Abstract Ensuring a fair and efficient distribution of economic resources in society is one of the most important public policy challenges facing democratic governments. This chapter notes how the emergence of new and better data on the composition and distribution of income and wealth has heightened interest in economic inequality. Data on the distribution of both income and wealth are presented, highlighting how Ireland, as a liberal market economy, has high levels of direct market income inequality but the welfare state plays a significant role in redistribution. The provision of robust wealth data is a recent phenomenon for Ireland, one absent from our understanding of living standards, well-being, and redistributive public policies for some time. Wealth is more unequally distributed than income, and it is notably concentrated in housing capital. The chapter concludes by highlighting the relevance and potential of these new insights.