&gt; Inequality is not a good metric for whether or not things are getting better.<p>That depends on your definition of &quot;better&quot;. Given the fact that <i>relative</i> deprivation has a demonstrably very strong negative subjective disutility, demonstrated in many studies, its pretty darned important if you want to understand increases or decreases in actual suffering.<p>This doesn&#x27;t fit the simplistic way lots of people would like to think economic indicators should map to human experience, but that&#x27;s a problem with the simplistic models.