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Episode details

Radio 4,15 Nov 2025,8 mins

Has there been a $50 trillion wealth transfer to the richest Americans?

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Bernie Sanders says a vast amount of wealth - $50 trillion - has moved from 90% of the population to the wealthiest Americans since the 1970s. The figure comes from a study by Carter Price, a senior mathematician at nonprofit research institute the RAND Corporation. Tim Harford speaks to Carter to understand how he calculated his figures and what they really mean. If you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, email [email protected] Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Nicolas Barrett Series producer: Tom Colls Sound mix: Giles Aspen Editor: Richard Vadon

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