Getting and Spending

Abstract

The selected time series on income and consumption appear to give a clear picture of postwar change along the following lines: family incomes have grown substantially ; consumption patterns have shifted away from necessities; income inequality has not increased; and poverty and intergroup income differences have declined. However, the broad indicators on which these conclusions are based do not illuminate the processes by which income is generated, consumption is shared, and costs are borne. The authors raise a set of questions related to the measurement and interpretation of the indicators. The answers to these questions suggest that a time series does not speak for itself and that a careful analysis of postwar changes awaits specification of the socioeconomic processes that generate the indicators.