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This text seeks to analyse and explain inequality, challenging traditional conceptions and providing a new critical perspective. The authors provide a comprehensive historical account of inequality, and show how that account no longer adequately explains the new and different forms experienced in recent decades. They argue that transformations in industrial, familial and political relations since the 1970s must be taken into account when trying to come to grips with the 'new' inequalities. As society has changed, new forms of inequality have emerged, conditioning the subject's very experience of identity, embodiment and politics. Inequality is understood, then, not as something that can be determined only with reference to traditional categories such as class but as that which works more insidiously. The authors demonstrate, for example, how bio and medical technologies produce inequalities. The book is at once a critical overview of contemporary inequality and a thorough-going textbook suitable for undergraduates

AbstractInequality is important, both for its own sake and for its political, social, and economic implications. However, measuring inequality is not straightforward, as it requires decisions to be made on the variable, population, and distributional characteristics of interest. These decisions will naturally influence the conclusions that are drawn so they must be closely linked to an underlying purpose, which is ultimately defined by a social welfare function. This paper outlines important considerations when making each of these decisions, before surveying recent advances in measuring inequality and suggesting avenues for future work.

Social and economic inequalities have sharpened in the late 20th century. During this period, Europe has witnessed a rising unemployment rate, a declining wages for the least qualified workers, a slowing of income growth, and an increasing gap between the richest and the poorest. Based on the hypothesis of the relation between socio-economic condition and mobility behaviour, it is necessary to ask how these socio-economic inequalities manifest themselves in transportation: does a rise in income inequality lead to a rise in transportation inequality and mobility practice inequality? This question is particularly relevant today as some European countries are facing high socio-economic inequalities following the financial crisis that started in 2008. Using results from transport, car ownership and mobility surveys as well as household surveys from the Paris (Île-de-France) region between eighties and late nineties, this paper tries to answer this question. The results show how inequalities in transportation and mobility practice have decreased during the period in spite of an increase in income inequalities. We find that the evolution of socio-economic inequality, most
specifically income inequality was simply one of the determining factors of the evolution of inequalities in transportation and mobility practice. In fact, the most important role in that evolution is not played by the evolution of income inequality but by the evolution of elasticity between transportation and income. Reducing the effects of this elasticity should be the main target of transport policies to diminish inequality in transportation and mobility practice. (author's abstract)

Revisiting the issues tackled in Sen's seminal work 'On Economic Inequality', this book brings together and develops some of the most important theme's of Sen's work. Sen argues that we should be concerned with people's capabilities rather than either their resources or their welfare

"Coming together from across several disciplines, the contributors to this book reflect on the considerable problem of inequality in Zambia, comparing it with other countries both in the region and more broadly. The World Bank consistently ranks Zambia among the countries with the highest levels of poverty and inequality globally, but the problem is not widely studied, and the studies that do exist tend to focus solely on economic measures of inequality. This book uses a multidimensional analysis of inequalities, highlighting the ways in which certain social groups and geographical locations are more likely to suffer multiple inequalities. It investigates key issues around poverty, healthcare, income, law, disability, and power inequalities. Particularly showcasing the work of local researchers, this book will be of interest to researchers of African studies, development, economics and politics"--

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Original Title Page -- Original Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- 1 Revolution and the Class Structure -- 2 On Inequality and Corruption -- 3 Class Struggles in Florence -- 4 Class and Government -- 5 Inequality and Stability -- 6 A Discourse on the Origin of Inequality -- 7 Civil Government is for Defence of Rich Against Poor -- 8 Of the Origin of Ambition and of the Distinction of Ranks -- 9 The Origin of the Distinction of Ranks -- 10 Parasitic and Productive Classes -- 11 Aristocracy and the Lower Classes in England -- 12 Of Property and the Labouring Classes -- 13 Obeisances, Titles and Class Distinctions -- 14 The Ruling Classes.

A compilation of conceptual chapters and national case studies that includes a series of methods for measuring education inequalities. It describes global trends on the distribution of formal schooling in national populations. It offers a strategic comparative and international education policy statement on shifts in education inequality

The global sociology currently faces one of its greatest challenges: to contribute to the debate about the most serious problem which all societies have faced in recent years. The rising inequality has led to many initiatives for reflection, discussion and evaluation of public policies in order to combat poverty. Particularly, the fact that the Millennium Goals are supposed to accomplish their significance by 2015 provides the International Sociological Association (ISA) the unique opportunity to contribute to those Goals through their own analyses and proposals. Over many years, the Association has promoted for many years the integrated debate of its members on issues related to inequalities: from different perspectives such as education, health, social movements, public policies, gender problems and violence, among others. The overlapping and accumulation of inequalities has been, so to speak, the natural environment from which the ISA can take part in this international debate. This article identifies the work lines approved in the Association Program Committee Meeting held in Mexico in 2011, in the process of the Association's Congress in Yokohama in 2014.

Over the last two decades, income inequality has increased in most developed welfare states. Therefore, redistributive policies are high on the political agenda of many countries. From a policy perspective, the correct empirical assessment of the redistributive effects of taxes and benefits is important to develop a well-designed redistributive policy mix. This thesis contributes to the understanding and measurement of redistribution by examining redistributive policies and income inequality and their interdependencies. The first empirical analysis explores the size and structure of effective redistribution in a broad sample of European welfare states. Besides answering the question of how different components of the tax and transfer system contribute to disposable income inequality, it also investigates whether the findings are sensitive to the underlying measurement method. Chapter 3 presents two detailed case studies of Germany and the United Kingdom and examines whether the structure of fiscal policies has changed over the last two decades. The analysis provides a comprehensive dynamic analysis of effective progressivity and redistribution by including all major fiscal elements: direct taxation, pay roll taxes, indirect taxes and benefits. Chapter 4 focuses on the identification of the causal effect of redistributive spending policies on income inequality by using a dynamic panel approach and some exogenous variation in social spending levels as an instrument. In contrast to the previous chapters, it explicitly discusses possible second-order effects of redistributive policies. Chapter 5 introduces the concept of inequality of opportunity instead of the traditional inequality of outcome approach. Given that previous estimates of unfair inequality could only provide lower bounds, the study suggests a new panel estimator which additionally allows identifying an upper bound of inequality of opportunity. The approach is illustrated by comparing Germany and the United States based on harmonized micro data. Overall, the book shows that tax benefit systems substantially reduce income inequality in all EU member states, with distinct redistributive capacities of different welfare state instruments. The amount of effective redistribution is significantly reduced when considering indirect taxes and second-order effects. Finally, while tax benefit systems equalize outcomes, they do not reveal a differential impact on unequal opportunities.

Economists are increasingly turning their attention to the measurement and causes of health inequality. This is in response to widespread concern that health disparities reflect social injustices but is also part of the trend away from the narrow focus on inequality in income to the more encompassing analysis of inequality in well-being. Researchers interested in the extent and causes of variation in well-being cannot but turn their analytical gaze on health inequalities. This volume contains methodological and empirical contributions from leading experts in health economics and economic inequality that add further momentum to a thriving field of research. The focus is on methods for the measurement of health inequalities (income-related, multidimensional and inequalities of opportunity) as well as the analysis of their causes. The collection is essential reading for researchers already working on health inequality and provides an immediate reconnaissance of the frontiers for those entering this exciting field.

Contents -- I. Background -- 1. Introduction - Sheldon Danziger and Peter Gottschalk -- 2. The Trend in Inequality Among Families, Individuals, and Workers in the United States: A Twenty-Five Year Perspective - Lynn A. Karoly -- II. Labor Market Changes and the Distribution of Earnings -- 3. Industrial Change and the Rising Importance of Skill - Kevin M. Murphy and Finis Welch -- 4. How Much Has De-Unionization Contributed to the Rise in Male Earnings Inequality? - Richard B. Freeman -- III. Demographic Changes and the Distribution of Family Income

This paper analyzes economic inequality in the United States and makes a connection between rising inequality and "Financialization" since the 1970's. I provide an overview of how and why income and wealth inequality have changed over time. The increase in inequality since the 1970's is correlated with an increase in Financialization, measured by a Financialization index that I created. Financialization, defined as the increasing size, power and influence of the financial sector in the economy and politics, has changed the economic and political landscape in the United States in a way that increases economic inequality.

Citizenship is an active role, requiring information to enable people to deliberate and arrive at decisions that they can then effectively voice. This article argues that the cumulative evidence of research is that mainstream media fail to provide such information and the essential analysis to buttress it. The result is information detriment, a significant element within a broader citizen detriment. This problem is only minimally addressed by the proliferation of information accessible through the widening availability of online and digital resources. Deepening inequality is translated into citizen detriment because of the growing cost of information resources. Evidence is provided of the significant advantages of the better off in an increasingly commercial and costly information environment, both as consumers of information and through lobbying, as sources of ideas and information in the political and public arena. The fundamental problem at the heart of this issue, therefore, is that of growing material inequality more than media and communication practice and policy.