Inequality between generations is a central feature of human societies. Moreover, within human societies many institutions have developed that mould and shape intergenerational inequality, including the state. Nevertheless, intergenerational inequality has typically been only loosely defined as a concept. This article examines intergenerational inequality in income, as well as how the state works to alter intergenerational inequality in income through the redistributive effect of public transfers. In order to provide greater definition to the concept of intergenerational inequality, the article introduces a new measure of intergenerational inequality: the IGI index. Building on this index, the article also constructs a new measure of the redistributive effect of public transfers on intergenerational inequality. With these new measures added to its methodological toolkit, the article presents new evidence on the incomes and public transfers paid and received by different ages and generations. This evidence is drawn from the recently developed Australian National Transfer Accounts, which include data on incomes and public transfers in Australia during the 28-year time period between 1981–82 and 2009–10. The analyses presented suggest that there are substantial inequalities in the incomes received by different generations, with earlier generations generally receiving less income in real terms over their lifetimes than later generations. As the state has operated through time—receiving taxes and other public transfers from some individuals and paying social protection and other public transfers to others—it has mostly favoured later generations more than earlier generations. In doing so, it has mostly worked to increase intergenerational inequality.

代际不平等是人类社会的一个核心特征。此外，在人类社会中，许多机构已经发展起来，塑造和塑造代际不平等，包括国家。然而，代际不平等通常只是被松散地定义为一个概念。本文考察了收入的代际不平等，以及国家如何通过公共转移支付的再分配效应来改变收入的代际不平等。为了更好地定义代际不平等的概念，本文引入了代际不平等的新衡量标准：IGI指数。在该指数的基础上，本文还构建了一个新的衡量公共转移支付对代际不平等的再分配效应的衡量标准。通过将这些新措施添加到其方法工具包中，本文提供了关于不同年龄和代际支付和接收的收入和公共转移支付的新证据。这一证据来自最近开发的澳大利亚国民转移账户，其中包括澳大利亚在 1981-82 年和 2009-10 年之间的 28 年期间的收入和公共转移数据。所提供的分析表明，不同代人获得的收入存在重大不平等，前几代人在其一生中实际获得的收入通常少于后代。由于国家随着时间的推移运作——从一些人那里接受税收和其他公共转移支付，并向其他人支付社会保护和其他公共转移支付——它大多比前几代更偏爱后代。这样做主要是为了增加代际不平等。