A conference organised by cemmap and hosted by the RSS met to consider the evaluation of methods of explaining the rising levels in economic inequality over that last 25 years in the UK and US. Invited speakers are Richard Blundell (UCL and cemmap), Jonathan Haskel (Queen Mary, London), Steve Machin (UCL and CEPR), Allan Manning (LSE), Costas Meghir (UCL and cemmap), and the keynote speaker is David Card (Princton).