Inequality in Europe during the Great Recession Era. Who are the Winners and the Losers?

A further analysis on inequality in Europe during the “Great Recession Era” could be worthwhile. Inequality in Europe is a different phenomenon from that of the US and the consequences of the Great Recession on income and wealth inequality are different from that of the previous crises across Europe. We need to move from the traditional analysis of the inequality to the study of the tails of the distribution of income and wealth since the process of income polarization, the rise of the distributional share of the better-off households and the increase in the disparities between the rich and the poor, the less well-off and the wealthy, the family members and the generations, the new professions and the social classes require a different approach. The identification of the winners and the losers is the most relevant social and political issue after a prolonged period of economic, financial and collective crisis if the national Governments and the common EU institutions aspire to introduce effective answers to the increase of disparities in the European society.