The issue focused on income inequality and differences between rich and poor countries

Background

World Bank estimates suggest that income inequality has risen substantially since 1980 in developed countries and increased substantially since 1970 in developing countries. Many economists argue that rising inequality leads to corruption and fosters instability and authoritarianism. According to several prominent economists, inequality leads to widespread inequality in consumption (especially consumption by the wealthy), consumption inequality leads to excessive inequality in savings (especially savings by the wealthy), and inequality in savings inequality leads to inadequate savings