Why Should Inequality Researchers Care about the Rich?

Abstract

This essay presents arguments for why precise and reliable estimates of top incomes and top wealth holdings are important for the economic analyses of issues concerning income and wealth distribution. First, I outline the most common theoretical motivations for why a specific focus on the absolute top of the distributions is important. Then some of the recent evidence of the Swedish concentration of income and wealth are sketched. Finally, I make some suggestions for future research and data collection efforts in order to improve the focus on estimating the incomes and wealth of the rich in society.