Open Data and Open Science : Insights from the World Inequality Lab

This paper examines the significance of open data and open science through the experiences of the World Inequality Lab in developing, maintaining, and disseminating the World Inequality Database. We emphasize the central role of reliable public statistics in facilitating rigorous analysis of income and wealth distributions globally. Despite some improvements in recent years with regards to availability of inequality statistics, significant disparities across countries remain, as demonstrated by the Inequality Transparency Index. We argue that a robust commitment by governments to systematically collect and openly disseminate detailed fiscal and socio-economic data is essential not just to tackle inequality but for evidence-based policy debates more broadly. Ultimately, access to reliable socio-economic data is not just a technical requirement but a democratic imperative that empowers societies to better understand—and in turn effectively tackle—the pressing challenges of our times.