Actually, the data Saez/Zucman use in their book is from the universe of IRS records. For instance, fig 1.2 average tax rates by centile.

Kristof: "Musk has a net worth greater than the poorest billion people on Earth. ..since the election, Musk’s personal net worth has grown by far more than the entire annual budget of USAID., which in any case accounts for less than 1 percent of the federal budget." www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/o...

similar paunch

Hate him or love him, I think we can all agree that uncensored Paul Krugman the sasrcastic substack explainer is much more entertaining that PK the NY Times columnist..
substack.com/home/post/p-...

I had similar influences, and feel similar apprehensions as Marc Bellamere expresses about the field of development economics since the 2000s.
marcfbellemare.com/wordpress/14...
For me, the political economy embrace kept it interesting for a while, but I agree something intrinsic has been lost