Fig. 3.

Examples showing how simulations of wealth of actors (Left) starting from an entirely equal situation quickly lead to inequality (Right) emerging solely from multiplicative gains and losses of otherwise equivalent competitors. The simulations shown in A and B are without savings, while those in C and D represent simulations with savings, illustrating that such an additive process reduces the tendency for hyperdominance generated by the multiplicative gains and losses. The results are generated by a minimal model of wealth (SI Appendix, section 4). Similar results can be obtained from a model of neutrally competing species in a natural community (SI Appendix, section 5).