Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

Income inequality can be – and is – conceived of in many ways. The topic has ignited passionate debates in the academic literature, crossing the borders of economics, sociology, politics, law, history, and geography, just to name a few. While this study will not attempt to shed light on all disciplinary aspects of the income inequality issue, both geographical and historical facets of income inequality within the United States will lie at the core of the analysis.

Before proceeding further, the conceptual framework needs to be set properly, and to this we turn first.