Inequality Within & Inequality Between

Economist Tyler Cowen argues here at The New York Times that we ought not worry our silly heads about increasing political-economic inequality within developed countries because, he claims, inequality between developed countries and developing countries has diminished considerably of late. Then, here, over at his terrific blog Understanding Society philosopher Daniel Little pretty thoroughly skewers Cowen.

Not pretty. But well-deserved.
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P.S.: Dan also posted a link to this (now decade+ old) article by Robert Wade at The Economist.  Punch Line? "Many analysts apparently take it for granted that global inequality is falling. Others think it sufficient to focus on poverty, and ignore inequality as such. Both these views need to be challenged. New evidence suggests that global inequality is worsening rapidly." Unless things have really turned around in the past 10 years, the basic empirical premise of Cowen's essay appears to be false.