For policy analysis purposes, it is therefore informative to distinguish between changes in redistribution that can be directly attributed to tax-benefit policy reforms (referred to as “direct policy changes” in what follows), and those that have occurred as a result of the evolution of market incomes or population structures (referred to as “income and population changes”). In fact, market-income inequality grew by twice as much as redistribution. Benefit recipients in the lowest income groups, however, slipped further down the income distribution as their benefits failed to keep pace with earnings growth.