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%T Between communism and capitalism: long-term inequality in Poland, 1892-2015 %A Bukowski, Paweł %A Novokmet, Filip %J Journal of Economic Growth %N 2 %P 187-239 %V 26 %D 2021 %K Income inequality; European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) %@ 1573-7020 %~ FDB %> https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-81484-7 %X We construct the first consistent series on the long-term distribution of income in Poland by combining tax, household survey and national accounts data. We document a U-shaped evolution of inequalities from the end of the nineteenth century until today: (1) inequality was high before WWII; (2) abruptly fell after the introduction of communism in 1947 and stagnated at low levels during the whole communist period; (3) experienced a sharp rise with the return to capitalism in 1989. We find that official survey-based measures strongly under-estimate the rise in inequality since 1989. Our results highlight the prominent role of capital income in driving the U-shaped evolution of top income shares. The unique inequality history of Poland speaks to the central role of institutions and policies in shaping inequality in the long run. %C USA %G en %9 journal article %W GESIS - http://www.gesis.org %~ SSOAR - http://www.ssoar.info