Abstract
This thesis examines current income distribution in the U.S. An increasing number of researchers, scholars, and interested citizens find the large and growing difference between incomes at the very top of the U.S. income scale and the rest of society as a problem for the economic, social and political well being of the nation. This thesis examines U.S. income distribution, and analyzes income inequality using the Bardach (2009) method. The Bardach (2009) method requires; presenting a problem statement (in this thesis that problem is that current U.S. income dispersion is too great), presenting evidence that supports this claim, developing and accessing alternatives, confronting the tradeoffs in choosing one alternative over another, and then making a recommendation. In this thesis, the problem definition is followed by a literature review of the theories that inform the debate and a review of the literature that describes the most common alternative mitigation strategies. This thesis uses an outcomes matrix as suggested by Bardach (2009) to confront the tradeoffs and assess the alternatives identified in the literature against a set of decision criteria. The outcomes matrix illustrates that very few of the alternatives sufficiently fulfilled the entire criteria standard. In most cases, this was due to the unlikely prospect of garnering sufficient political support. However, one alternative, investing in infrastructure, appeared to satisfy the criteria better than the others did. Therefore, this alternative is the cornerstone of a recommendation to invigorate the economy and reduce income inequality. This thesis presents a final recommendation that consists of re-calibrating estate taxes to produce revenue for a comprehensive infrastructure program that will not only lower income inequality, but also boost middle class jobs and make America more competitive.