Inequality: Economic and Social Issues

Inequalities of opportunity affect a person’s life expectancy and access to basic services and human rights through discrimination, abuse, and lack of access to justice. High levels of inequality of opportunity discourage skill accumulation, choke economic and social mobility, and, consequently, depress economic growth. Inequality also entrenches uncertainty, vulnerability, and insecurity; undermines trust in institutions and government, increases social discord and tensions, and triggers violence and conflicts. This book presents wide-ranging perspectives on economic inequality, as measured by differences in incomes and wealth. The contributors to the book explore how the economy is shaped in such a way as to generate differences in economic and social welfare between individuals, regions, and nations. But the book is not limited to economic perspectives: inequality is a many-faceted phenomenon that manifests itself in a number of ways. Thus, the book begins with a section which highlights some of the ‘standard’ features of inequality: class, gender, and age. The second section explores the manifestation of inequality in terms of differences in income and wealth. The third section looks at some of the causes of inequality, exploring the effects of discrimination and plunder (by those in power). The final section serves to drive home the point that geographic and institutional factors have an important place as well when it comes to shedding light on what equality is, how it manifests itself, and what its consequences are. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the causes and consequences of economic inequality including those in economics, sociology, politics, and geography.