During the closing decades of the twentieth century, much of the world witnessed a substantial increase in economic and social inequalities. Following a period of "growth with equity" that featured economic growth and social redistribution in East Asian countries shortly after World War II, a new era of "growth with inequality" has been ushered in. This leads not only to a divided society, it threatens democratic institutions and suffocates economic growth. Looking forward to the next half century, will East Asia, a major area of economic growth of the twenty-first century, become increasingly unequal economically and socially? The experience of China, a country that has seen a period of both spectacular economic growth and rapid income inequality increase, suggests that the state can serve both as an inequality creator and an equality enforcer. As equitable distribution of benefits of economic growth requires forces beyond the market alone, national policies are required to address the causes of rising inequality and create opportunities that will have beneficial long-term effects.

The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Center.