Date added: 2023-10-13
Summary of the conference "Income and Wealth Inequality: Drivers and Consequences"
Over the course of three days, the conference featured the latest research achievements in the field of income and wealth inequality from theoretical, empirical, and comparative perspectives. The discussions also delved into the role of public policy and technological progress in the evolution of inequality, as well as understanding the economic and social consequences of increasing inequality.
The conference was complemented by the remarkable atmosphere of Gdansk University of Technology's campus. In total, over 50 scholars from around the world presented their research findings, including speakers from four continents. Keynote speakers were invited to deliver presentations:
- Daniele Checchi (University of Milan) on "Hours Inequality."
- James E. Foster (The George Washington University and OPHI, University of Oxford) on "Multidimensional and Specific Inequalities."
- Susan Harkness (University of Bristol) on "Gender Equality: Why it Matters to Income Inequality."
- Branko Milanovic (City University of New York and Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality) on "Two Centuries of Global Inequality with a Focus on the Past 30 Years."
- Philippe Van Kerm (University of Luxembourg and LISER) on "The Long-run Trends in Assortative Mating and its Contribution to Income Inequality in the US."
On the first day of the conference, young researchers participated in workshops on "Software and Techniques for Inequality Measurements and Analysis," where they learned about income and wealth data sets and empirical approaches to explaining inequality using R and Python software. The workshops also introduced methods of "Machine Learning" used not only in inequality analysis but also in various other social and exact sciences. The workshop was conducted by Pedro Salas-Rojo (London School of Economics-International Inequalities Institute), Josep Espasa Reig (OECD, formerly LIS), and Piotr Paradowski (LIS & Gdansk University of Technology).
As part of the conference, a debate titled "The Bridge between Research and Economic Policy" took place, involving distinguished scholars in inequality studies as well as policymakers. Participants included Daniele Checchi (Università degli Studi di Milano), Michael Förster (Sciences Po Paris), Susan Harkness (University of Bristol), Stanisław Maciej Kot (Gdansk University of Technology), Dariusz Rosati (Member of the Polish Parliament), and Joanna Tyrowicz (University of Warsaw and a member of the Monetary Policy Council). The debate addressed issues related to the causes and effects of income and wealth inequality, particularly in the context of public policy.
The event was organized under the patronage of the Rector, Professor Krzysztof Wilde, PhD, DSc (corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences), Dean of the Faculty of Management and Economics, Dr. hab. Małgorzata Gawrycka, professor at Gdansk University of Technology, the Fahrenheit University Network, the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), the Polish Economic Society, and the Central Statistical Office. The conference was co-financed through the IDUB Carbonium Supporting Conferences program, with simultaneous financial support from the Faculty of Management and Economics and the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS).
Poster Session The conference's organizing committee included Piotr Paradowski (chair), Joanna Wolszczak-Derlacz, Dagmara Nikulin, Andrzej Karalus, Karol Flisikowski, Stanisław Maciej Kot, Michał Pietrzak, Magdalena Brygała, and Yuxin Lu.
The organizers extend their gratitude to the administrative units of the Faculty and the University, especially the Promotion and Organization Department, the Logistics Center of Gdansk University of Technology, the Multimedia Section of Gdansk University of Technology, and everyone who contributed to the organization of this conference.
