Global Income Inequality by the Numbers: in History and Now

Branko Milanovic, The World Bank, Development Research Group
Poverty and Inequality Team - Policy Research Working Paper 6259- November 2012 

http://bit.ly/TPwkDS 

Either poor countries will become richer, or poor people will move to rich countries. Actually, these two developments can be seen as equivalent. Development is about people: either poor people have ways to become richer where they are now, or they can become rich by moving somewhere else. Looked from above, there is no real difference between the two options. From the point of view of real politics, there is a whole world of difference though.