Introducing the THIAs: Total Haig-Simons U.S. Household Income Accounts, 1960–2021

Roth, Steve and Bezemer, Dirk (2024): Introducing the THIAs: Total Haig-Simons U.S. Household Income Accounts, 1960–2021.

Abstract

This paper introduces the U.S. total (Haig-Simons) household-sector income accounting series, or THIAs. The THIA measures of total income, spending, and saving for the U.S.,1960-2021, respond to the needs of scholars and researchers expressed over many decades, as well as U.N. and OECD statisticians and national-accounts specialists. A prototype distributional breakout of all measures by income quintiles is also included for 2000-2021. The series provide novel insights into trends in income, spending, saving, wealth, wealth accumulation, and wealth concentration. These insights may have important implications for economic modeling, and for tax and transfer policies.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: income, wealth, Haig-Simons, equality, distribution, consumption, saving
• Subjects: B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B4 - Economic Methodology > B41 - Economic Methodology; D - Microeconomics > D3 - Distribution > D31 - Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O11 - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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