The Political Economy of Inequality

The Political Economy of Inequality

Economic inequality has become a defining issue of our age. In this book, leading political economist Frank Stilwell provides a comprehensive overview of the nature, causes, and consequences of this growing divide.

Author: Frank Stilwell

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

ISBN: 9781509528684

Category: Political Science

Page: 224

View: 997

During the last few decades, the gap between the incomes, wealth and living standards of rich and poor people has increased in most countries. Economic inequality has become a defining issue of our age. In this book, leading political economist Frank Stilwell provides a comprehensive overview of the nature, causes, and consequences of this growing divide. He shows how we can understand inequalities of wealth and incomes, globally and nationally, examines the scale of the problem and explains how it affects our wellbeing. He also shows that, although governments are often committed to ‘growth at all costs’ and ‘trickle down’ economics, there are alternative public policies that could be used to narrow the gap between rich and poor. Stilwell’s engaging and clear guide to the issues will be indispensable reading for all students, general readers and scholars interested in inequality in political economy, economics, public policy and beyond.
Categories: Political Science

The Politics of Economic Inequality in Developing Countries

The Politics of Economic Inequality in Developing Countries

This book argues that a high level of economic inequality undermines a country's growth potential, retards the development of social capital, and encourages corruption.

Author: P. Nel

Publisher: Springer

ISBN: 9780230584082

Category: Political Science

Page: 206

View: 467

Inequalities of wealth and income have a significant impact for the achievement of economic, political and human development in developing counties. This book argues that a high level of economic inequality undermines a country's growth potential, retards the development of social capital, and encourages corruption.
Categories: Political Science

Regimes of Inequality

Regimes of Inequality

Why can't politicians seem to make policies that will reduce social inequality, even when they acknowledge that inequality is harmful?

Author: Julia Lynch

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

ISBN: 9781107001688

Category: Medical

Page: 313

View: 410

Why can't politicians seem to make policies that will reduce social inequality, even when they acknowledge that inequality is harmful?
Categories: Medical

The Political Economy of Inequality

The Political Economy of Inequality

As with the other volumes in the series, The Political Economy of Inequality offers an invaluable overview of an emerging field of economics and is a unique reference for students and scholars concerned with economic policy, social ...

Author: Frank Ackerman

Publisher:

ISBN: 1559637862

Category: Distributive justice

Page: 403

View: 476

The disparity in wealth both within and between nations has grown rapidly in recent years, and is becoming an increasingly significant issue in attempts to deal with environmental problems - from international negotiations over climate change to local concerns about environmental justice. The Political Economy of Inequality offers an in-depth examination of the economic theory behind the causes, consequences, and cures for inequality. The volume brings together disparate analyses of inequality in economic and related fields, identifies areas where more work is most needed, and lays the groundwork for an integrated understanding of the causes and consequences of inequality in the United States and the world. Sections cover: the distribution of earnings the distribution of wealth celebrity and CEO incomes the effects of corporate power poverty, inequality, and power household roles and family structure skills, technology, and education categorical inequalities, such as those based on race, gender, or ethnicity inequality on a global scale the welfare state The book is the fifth in the six-volume Frontier Issues in Economic Thought series. Each volume offers two- to three-page summaries of the most notable articles and chapters in a "frontier" area where important new work is being done but has not yet been incorporated into the standard definition of economics. Introductory essays by the editors review the field, cite other literature that was not summarized, and situate the summarized articles within an overview of the subject. As with the other volumes in the series, The Political Economy of Inequality offers an invaluable overview of an emerging field of economics and is a unique reference for students and scholars concerned with economic policy, social economics, work and labor issues, international and sustainable development, or related topics.
Categories: Distributive justice

Economic Inequality and News Media

Economic Inequality and News Media

How do we construct the story of inequality? This eye-opening and transdisciplinary book sheds new light not only on the relation between news media and economic inequality, but also on economic issues more broadly.

Author: Andrea Grisold

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 9780190053925

Category: Language Arts & Disciplines

Page: 248

View: 588

Economic inequalities have become increasingly prominent in public debate in the last decade as sluggish economic growth, declining or stagnant incomes, high unemployment, and state policy regimes orientated towards austerity dominate many core capitalist regions, often with extreme turbulence in the political arena. Debate over these issues unfolds in both the public sphere and within the academy, with the conversation developing from two disciplinary areas in particular: economics and political economy, and journalism and communication studies. Economic Inequality and News Media brings these fields together. In this interdisciplinary volume, Andrea Grisold and Paschal Preston build on a unique multi-country research project exploring how news media cover and frame issues of economic inequality. Taking media coverage of Thomas Piketty's best-selling Capital in the Twenty-First Century as a case study, this book addresses important blind-spots in the relationship between mainstream media and economics. It interrogates both the failure of economists' to engage with the evolving role of the media as well as journalists' tendency to overlook key aspects of economic processes and power that are politically relevant and of public interest. Grisold and Preston tackle this disconnect and argue for a multi-disciplinary approach in which they acknowledge the crucial role the mass media plays in creating and disseminating economic information. The book explores important questions such as: How do new forms of economic inequality, power, and privilege relate to prevailing theories and conceptualizations of the media? What roles do new trends and forms of economic inequality play in the typical narratives of mediated communication? How do we construct the story of inequality? This eye-opening and transdisciplinary book sheds new light not only on the relation between news media and economic inequality, but also on economic issues more broadly. In an evolving world experiencing the rise of ultra-nationalism, populism, and rampant economic uncertainty, Economic Inequality and News Media is a crucial investigation of the nuances of economic news media.
Categories: Language Arts & Disciplines

Inequality

Inequality

The study clarifies the problems associated with income inequality and formulates a consistent system for measuring its effects.

Author: Folke Dovring

Publisher: Praeger Pub Text

ISBN: 0275939634

Category: Business & Economics

Page: 230

View: 796

A worsening economic crisis due to the shift in wealth over the past decade is the central concern of this carefully documented study. It profiles the current status of income inequality in the United States and discerns disturbing trends for the future. A wealth of data are collected, evaluated, and simplified into a straightforward look at both the economic changes brought on by misguided reforms of the 1980s and a proposed system for measuring income inequality which may help clarify the issues pertinent to the debate. Folke Dovring perceives the current U.S. economy as an imminent threat to our democratic system, and urges increased awareness of the variables which will effect its return to a healthy state of balance where income inequality, necessary to a certain degree, sustains productivity and individual incentives. A general overview of the facts and problems associated with income distribution, viewed from historical, geographical, and sociological perspectives, establishes the study's priorities, and is followed by the development of criteria which can more accurately estimate the nature and extent of income inequality, moving the study closer to recommendations for systematic public policy which may promote continued economic growth. The urgency with which Dovring addresses this topic and the thoroughness of his presentation will compel scholars and policymakers, especially those interested in poverty economics, to give immediate attention to the issue of economic inequality through informed, meaningful discussion.
Categories: Business & Economics

Unequal China

Unequal China

This book offers a comprehensive account of inequality in China from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Author: Wanning Sun

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 9781136229978

Category: Business & Economics

Page: 266

View: 550

Economic development and a dramatic improvement in living standards in many parts of the People’s Republic of China during the past three decades of economic reforms have been hailed by the Chinese Communist Party and many commentators in the international arena as the most spectacular achievements in the history of humanity. However, three decades of economic reforms have also transformed China from one of the world’s most egalitarian societies into one of the most unequal. This book offers a comprehensive account of inequality in China from an interdisciplinary perspective. It both draws on, and speaks to, the existing body of literature that is generated mainly in the fields of economics and sociology, while extending its scope to also examine the political, social, moral and cultural dimensions of inequality. Each chapter addresses the question of inequality from a specific context of research, including housing, health care, social welfare, education, migration, land distribution, law, gender and sexuality. Moving beyond traditional socio-economic theories, the contributors to this volume explore a wide range of social, political, economic and cultural practices that result from, as well as further entrench, the inequalities in Chinese society. Importantly, the essays in Unequal China probe the hidden causes of inequality - namely, the role of state power and the importance of culture - and underline how both state power and cultural factors have a key part to play in legitimating inequality. With an innovative approach that moves beyond the economic and sociological roots of inequality in China, this volume is a welcome addition to what is a growing field of study, and will appeal to students and scholars interested in Chinese culture and society, Chinese politics and Asian social policy.
Categories: Business & Economics

Explaining Inequality

Explaining Inequality

Building on this analysis the book argues for an integrated set of policies addressing the roots of inequalities in incomes and wealth Explaining Inequality will be of interest to students, researchers and practitioners concerned with ...

Author: Maurizio Franzini

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 9781317561026

Category: Business & Economics

Page: 118

View: 623

Inequalities in incomes and wealth have increased in advanced countries, making our economies less dynamic, our societies more unjust and our political processes less democratic. As a result, reducing inequalities is now a major economic, social and political challenge. This book provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of the economics of inequality. Until recently economic inequality has been the object of limited research efforts, attracting only modest attention in the political arena; despite important advances in the knowledge of its dimensions, a convincing understanding of the mechanisms at its roots is still lacking. This book summarizes the topic and provides an interpretation of the mechanisms responsible for increased disparities. Building on this analysis the book argues for an integrated set of policies addressing the roots of inequalities in incomes and wealth Explaining Inequality will be of interest to students, researchers and practitioners concerned with inequality, economic and public policy and political economy.
Categories: Business & Economics

Capitalism and Inequality

Capitalism and Inequality

The authors in this book argue that increasing the role of markets and reducing the extent of regulation is the best way to lower inequality while ensuring greater material well-being for all sections of society.

Author: G.P. Manish

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 9781000283921

Category: Business & Economics

Page: 223

View: 484

Capitalism and Inequality rejects the popular view that attributes the recent surge in inequality to a failure of market institutions. Bringing together new and original research from established scholars, it analyzes the inequality inherent in a free market from an economic and historical perspective. In the process, the question of whether the recent increase in inequality is the result of crony capitalism and government intervention is explored in depth. The book features sections on theoretical perspectives on inequality, the political economy of inequality, and the measurement of inequality. Chapters explore several key questions such as the difference between the effects of market-driven inequality and the inequality caused by government intervention; how the inequality created by regulation affects those who are less well-off; and whether the economic growth that accompanies market-driven inequality always benefits an elite minority while leaving the vast majority behind. The main policy conclusions that emerge from this analysis depart from those that are currently popular. The authors in this book argue that increasing the role of markets and reducing the extent of regulation is the best way to lower inequality while ensuring greater material well-being for all sections of society. This key text makes an invaluable contribution to the literature on inequality and markets and is essential reading for students, scholars, and policymakers.
Categories: Business & Economics