This working paper discusses the extreme inequality in the distribution of the world’s income and how it should make researchers and proponents question the current development model. At the time of writing this paper, the top 20% of the world’s population enjoys more than 70% of total income.

In the context of global economic crisis, it is argued that the urgency for equitable policies has never been greater. Inequalities are likely to worsen in the coming years unless new policies are developed at national and international levels.