Investing in intangible assets drives wealth inequality, study finds.
The paper looks at how wealth inequality is influenced by economic growth and investment in different types of assets. By studying data from 21 countries between 1860 and 2015, the researchers found that wealth inequality is higher when economic growth is slower and when more money is invested in intangible assets like intellectual property. This means that investing in intangible assets has been a key factor in wealth inequality since 1860, especially after the 1970s.