Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says the richest 1% of Americans now hold 25% of the country's wealth and more needs to be done to boost equality.
Mr Stiglitz says the wealth of the top 1% has doubled since 1980 but the income of those at the median level has not changed since then.
Mr Stiglitz told the BBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos that America likes to think of itself as the land of equality and opportunity, but the statistics show otherwise.
He said there needed to be more action to boost educational opportunities of the bottom 50% of Americans, and to raise minimum wage levels.
