|
Yellen said that research may provide evidence
of what allows people to get ahead, and to predict how
individual circumstances impact income inequality.
"It would also be beneficial to understand whether any policies
may hold people back or discourage upward mobility," Yellen said
in prepared remarks for a speech to a Fed research conference
here on economic mobility.
Yellen tackled the issue of income inequality in a speech in
Boston last October, saying she was "greatly concerned" about
income disparity in the United States.
Republican lawmakers seized on that speech, saying it was a
partisan view meant to help Democrats in the November elections,
with little relevance to the central bank's responsibility.
That view resurfaced during Yellen's semi-annual appearance in
front of Congress in February, with Republican lawmakers in the
House of Representatives accusing the Fed chief of using the
inequality issue to side with Democrats.
Yellen fiercely defended her stance, saying that previous Fed
leaders had addressed the issue of wealth inequality and that it
remained an important economic view.
"I am not making political statements. I am discussing a
significant problem that faces America," Yellen said during the
House hearing.
On Thursday, she struck a more delicate tone.
"Research could help us better understand how much mobility at
the individual level matters for overall growth in productivity
and economic output," Yellen said in her remarks.
(Reporting by Michael Flaherty; Editing by Paul Simao)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
