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This book draws from a vast trove of research on the rich democracies to argue that while inequality is normatively a problem and we should therefore work to reduce it, the evidence from wealthier countries does not show that income inequality has contributed much at all to the other social ills it is associated with: declines in living standards, worse health outcomes, reductions in happiness, less opportunity, and diminished democracy. Instead of trying to repair these ills indirectly via a reduction in economic inequality, policy makers are more likely to make progress by pursuing these goals directly. This contrarian yet balanced account of one of the main social problems of our era will reshape our understanding of how rising economic inequality has affected societies in the industrialized world.
List of contents
- Chapter 1: Inequality Isn't the Problem
- Chapter 2: Is Income Inequality Bad for Living Standards?
- Chapter 3: Does Income Inequality Degrade Democracy?
- Chapter 4: Does Income Inequality Obstruct Opportunity?
- Chapter 5: Does Income Inequality Lessen Longevity?
- Chapter 6: Does Income Inequality Hinder Happiness?
- Chapter 7: Is Income Inequality Harmful?
- Chapter 8: People Want Less Inequality, But It's Not a Priority for Them
- Chapter 9: Inequality Reduction in Rich Nations May Impede Reduction of Worldwide Inequality
- Chapter 10: What About Wealth?
- Chapter 11: Inequality Reduction Should Be a Secondary Goal
- Chapter 12: How to Reduce Inequality
- Acknowledgments
- Appendix
- Notes
- References
- Index
About the author
Lane Kenworthy is Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Yankelovich Chair in Social Thought at the University of California-San Diego. He studies the causes and consequences of living standards, capabilities, poverty, inequality, mobility, employment, economic growth, social policy, taxes, public opinion, politics, and more in the United States and other rich longstanding-democratic countries. He is also the author of
The Good Society,
Would Democratic Socialism Be Better? (Oxford, 2022),
Social Democratic Capitalism (Oxford, 2020),
How Big Should Our Government Be? (2016),
Social Democratic America (Oxford, 2014),
Progress for the Poor (Oxford, 2011),
Jobs with Equality (Oxford, 2008),
Egalitarian Capitalism (2004), and
In Search of National Economic Success (1995). His essays and shorter pieces have appeared at
Foreign Affairs, the
Washington Post,
The Guardian,
Boston Review,
Consider the Evidence (his blog), and elsewhere.
