Financialization and Inequalities in Income and Wealth

Abstract

The inequality issue has become a central concern for the majority of economists. Financialization is, among others, a major cause of inequalities in income and wealth. This paper examines opinions of some noted scholars on this issue. In reality, the financial sector has moved away from its basic function of allocating capital to productive uses, to those activities which do not create wealth rather, they transfer it from others to finance manipulators. Financialization leads to the development of new financial products that are several layers away from the real economy. The oversized financial sector has strayed away from its essential function. Several empirical studies document that “too much finance” may hamper growth, create distortions, and contribute to income inequality.