ABSTRACT
The issue of income distribution is historically tied to concerns about the standard of living, especially of the working class and the underclass. 1 The need to approach income distribution through the standard of living, is evident when the motivating question is the well-being of the various classes, which are defined and divided by their social and work roles. Incomes are directly tied to these roles, and the goods and services commanded by income outwardly mark each class in the society. 2 In this way, one's placement in the labor market simultaneously determines one's earnings, standard of living, and status.
