redistribution
ree-diss-trih-BYOO-shun
/ˌriː.dɪs.trɪˈbjuː.ʃən/
The policy mechanism of transferring income and wealth from richer individuals to poorer ones through taxation and welfare services.
Focuses specifically on deliberate macro-economic rebalancing of societal resources.
The story behind the word. Combines 're-' (again) with Latin 'distribuere' (from 'dis-' apart + 'tribuere' to give to a tribe). It describes taking a distribution made by market forces and apportioning it again to align with societal objectives.
Word relationships
- reallocation: 'Reallocation' applies broadly to any shifting of resources (like budget items), whereas 'redistribution' specifically implies wealth rebalancing.
- concentration: 'Concentration' describes the gathering of resources into few hands, opposite to deliberate spreading.
Commonly confused with
- distribution: 'Distribution' describes how wealth is initially generated and spread in a market; 'redistribution' is state intervention to adjust that initial outcome.
Word family
- redistribute (verb): To distribute something again or in a different way.
- redistributive (adjective): Intended to redistribute capital, wealth, or resources.
Collocations
- redistribution of wealth
- redistribution of income
- wealth redistribution
- fiscal redistribution
Idioms & expressions
- rebalancing the scales
Example sentences
- "Progressive taxation serves as a central mechanism for the redistribution of wealth in modern welfare states." Macroeconomic analysis
- "Without active redistribution policies, market forces tend to concentrate capital among top earners." Academic essay on economic inequality
Memory hook
RE-DISTRIBUTE means taking the deck of cards and dealing it out again fairly. Shuffling wealth back around the board.
When not to use
Do not use when simply moving physical equipment from one location to another without socio-economic intent.
Fun facts
- In welfare economics, the 'Robin Hood principle' is often used informally to describe aggressive wealth redistribution.
Related words
Explore more words
distributive, allocation, egalitarian, redress, allocate, restitution
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