Income inequality in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Subject. The article is devoted to the analysis of the transformation of theoretical approaches to the concept of inequality and methods for its assessment. Objectives. The study aims to analyze modern approaches to the concept of inequality, identify factors of its generation, establish the existence of a connection between the introduction of new technologies and the growth of inequality at the global level. Methods. The study rests on the content analysis of available sources, comparative analysis, and statistical data. Results. The analysis of works by S. Kuznets, T. Piketty, B. Milanovic, E. Atkinson and others enabled to identify modern approaches to inequality and factors that generate it, both at the international and national levels. We also considered the existing methods for measuring various forms of inequality, in particular, income inequality and inequality of opportunity, and identified the most demonstrative ones, depending on the situation and level of development of a particular country or region. The hypothesis about a connection between the introduction of new technologies and the dynamics of inequality was tested. It was found that in the adoption of technologies the leading countries have the largest income gaps among developed countries. Conclusions. The analysis of statistical data over the past five years has shown that the introduction of new technologies will not only reduce inequality, but increase it.