Table of Contents
Definition of Redistribution of Wealth
(noun) The transfer of income, property, or wealth from one individual or group to another individual or group.
Example of Redistribution of Wealth
- Yearly income taxes paid to the local or federal government that are then allocated to various agencies and individuals.
Redistribution of Wealth Pronunciation
Syllabification: re·dis·tri·bu·tion of wealth
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /ree-di-struh-byOO-shuhn uhv wElth/
- British English – /ree-di-stri-byOO-shuhn UHv wElth/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˌridɪstrəˈbjuʃən ʌv wɛlθ/
- British English – /ˌriːˌdɪstrɪˈbjuːʃən ɒv wɛlθ/
Usage Notes
- Plural: redistributions of wealth
- Progressive redistribution means it reduces inequality and regressive redistribution means it increases inequality. Redistribution that transfers resources between different economic classes is called vertical redistribution and between different groups (such as people without children and with children) is called horizontal redistribution.
Additional Information
- Economic Sociology Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “redistribution” and “wealth” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
- allocation of resources
- distribution
- division of labor
- economic system
- market economy
- market exchange
- production
- reciprocal exchange
- redistribution
- subsistence economy
- technology
Cite the Definition of Redistribution of Wealth
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “redistribution of wealth.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 23, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/redistribution-of-wealth/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
redistribution of wealth. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/redistribution-of-wealth/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “redistribution of wealth.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/redistribution-of-wealth/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“redistribution of wealth.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/redistribution-of-wealth/>.