Between 1980 and 2016, the top 1 per cent captured 28 per cent of the aggregate increase in real incomes in the US, Canada and western Europe, while the bottom 50 per cent captured just 9 per cent of it. But these aggregates conceal huge differences: in western Europe, the top 1 per cent captured “only” as much as the bottom 51 per cent. In North America, however, the top 1 per cent captured as much as the bottom 88 per cent. These extraordinary facts prove that aggregate growth itself tells us very little — indeed, in the case of the US, virtually nothing — about the scale of improvements in economic welfare for the population as a whole.
在1980年至2016年之间，收入前1%的人掌握了美国、加拿大和西欧实际收入增长总量的28%，而收入后50%的人只得到了其中的9%。但是这些总数掩盖了巨大的差异：在西欧，收入前1%的人掌握的收入增量“只”与收入后51%的人相当。然而，在北美，收入前1%的人掌握的收入增量却与收入后88%的人相当。这些非同寻常的事实证明，收入增长总量本身说明不了整体人口manbetx20客户端下载 福利的改善程度——实际上，就美国而言，二者几乎没有丝毫关系。