In this volume a distinguished team of international contributors consider some of the central long-term issues raised by the problem of income distribution. The Kuznets curve - i.e. the notion that income distribution became increasingly unequal during the period of industrialisation, and progressively less unequal during the drive to maturity - lies at the centre of much of the analysis, and its relevance is discussed in a wide-ranging series of articles covering the British, Belgian, German, Australian, Austrian and American experiences. This volume is the first for many years to take such a broad, comparative approach to income distribution, and makes an important and authoritative contribution to an area of perennial debate.