With progressive redistribution systems in place, greater inequality automatically leads to more redistribution, even if no policy action is taken. For instance, when unemployment goes up, measured redistribution is likely to increase because more people claim unemployment benefits. Similarly, a progressive income tax redistributes more when taxable incomes become more dispersed (and very little if everybody earns about the same). In the context of rising market-income inequality, tax-benefit systems have indeed become more redistributive over the past 20-25 years.