The gender pay gap is starkest at the bottom—and the top. Meanwhile, economic historian Gregory Clark says it takes ten to fifteen generations for a family’s wealth or poverty to dissipate. (The New Republic)

The UN mulls how and whether to include open government principles in the post-Millennium Development Goals agreement. (Thompson Reuters Foundation)

Intended to test lawmakers’ propositions about arts funding, a new study concludes that federally supported arts programs attract people across the income spectrum: “the wealthy, yes, but also many below the poverty line.” (The New York Times)

Despite favorable court rulings and statements by corporations and governments, new reports show that there’s been a dramatic slowdown in recognizing the rights of indigenous people to tropical forestland and resources. (Voice of America)

Why people of color make up an even larger share of the populations of private, for-profit prisons than publicly run institutions—and how laws “that are, on the surface, race-neutral, continue to have a disproportionate and negative impact on communities of color.” (Moyers & Company)

Could basic banking services offered by the U.S. Postal Service help drive predatory financial companies out of business, while promoting savings and expanding credit for the poor? (The New Republic)

A new study finds that LGBT people experience disproportionate levels of food insecurity. (Williams Institute)

Why a higher minimum wage might just kill off an old way of doing business. (The Atlantic)

Previously

• Jan. 31: Opportunity vs. inequality, global attitudes about aging, coming out in Africa.
• Jan. 24: Innovation meets inequality, smart cities, fighting climate change, building an economic justice movement.
• Jan. 17: Connecting restaurant patrons and restaurant workers, understanding net neutrality, filling in gaps on Wikipedia.