From 1917 to 2012, donations by high-income households in the USA have moved inversely with income inequality. This … association contradicts historical narratives and prevailing theory, both of which that imply that high-income households donate … rising income shares when inequality increases. The negative correlation holds both unconditionally and after conditioning on …

of charitable giving into the optimal income tax framework that has been developed over the past half century. The … effects can be offset by tax rate adjustments to the broader income tax and transfer system. These ideas are developed …