LISTEN: Does Alaska’s PFD contribute to lower income inequality? It’s complicated

(Public domain photo)

Alaska is again bucking a national trend, and this time it’s with income inequality.

The gap between how much money wealthy Americans have, compared to everyone else, is greater than it’s been in a half-century. But Alaska is one of a handful of states where that gap is not such a chasm.

And if you think that might be due to the Permanent Fund Dividend, well, it’s more complicated than that.

As economist Mouhcine Guettabi with the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Institute of Social and Economic Research told Alaska Public Media’s Casey Grove, there are several theories.

Listen here:

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Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him atcgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Caseyhere

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