The Political Economy of wealth inequality in the global South - A case study of South Africa.

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The research aims to understand the political economy of wealth inequality in the global South. Recent empirical work shows that wealth inequality is highly concentrated, isa strong indicator of inequality in other spheres, and since it is inherited and passed on, further exacerbates wealth disparities. As wealth is intertemporal, the processes that lead to wealth inequality are shaped through social, historical and political processes, specific to the global South. An analysis of wealth inequality is central to understanding the persistent nature of economic inequality. To do this, I will ask: i) What are the pathways to accumulate wealth for elites?ii) How have economic policies affected the different 'types' of wealth elites? iii) How have different 'types' of wealth elites influenced the form of economic policies? I will create a database linking the characteristics of elites to economic data on their ownership of assets, and relevant policies, and will empirically analyse their relationships and in fluence on the wealth distribution. South Africa provides an informative setting to study these dynamics, being one of the most unequal societies in the world, with little change since democracy. There is considerable variation within country of elites (different factions and ethnicities), and routes of wealth accumulation, that will allow analysis of factors thatstrengthen or weaken unequal asset ownership.