The focus of the European Union on fiscal consolidation has left European societies out of kilter and undermined the union’s legitimacy. A Social Imbalances Procedure could begin to put that right.
The new Spanish minimum wage
Raising wage floors is one way to reduce inequality and stimulate recovery in Europe. A big uplift in the Spanish minimum wage this year provides a test bed.
Public discourse in the populist age—a trade-union perspective
Winning the battle against the populists means foregrounding and addressing social inequalities, not presuming political liberalism monopolises the alternative.
Big Data and its enclosure of the commons
Digital dystopias are overdone but inequality is rising. The answer lies in treating data as a commons and Big Data as a collective-action problem.
Why should governments give cash-handouts before providing free, quality public services to all?
Universal Basic Income without quality public services is a neoliberal paradise.
Is the crisis of social democracy a crisis of equality?
Social democracy in Europe is struggling to come to terms with the more complex equality agenda of today—to which its Antipodean counterparts are however offering some answers.
Inequality: from redistribution to predistribution and beyond?
Soaring income inequality inevitably raises discussion of more progressive taxation. But a more fundamental focus on the ownership of capital is needed.
It is time to restore the wage share
The wage share has been falling across the world as inequality has increased in recent decades. A co-ordinated rise is needed, starting in Europe, to reverse that.
Inequality More Than Matters
Inequality is the biggest challenge of our time. It undermines social confidence and reduces support for democratic institutions. It lurks behind the new toxic relationship that western societies have established with their future and explains much of recent resentment-driven electoral phenomena and the surge of identity politics with its disruptive backlash. As for the economic […]
Turning The Tide On Inequality
It is hard to believe that it is any coincidence that by far the most economically unequal large country in the European Union, the UK, was the one that narrowly voted to leave it in 2016. The UK has severe social problems due to severe economic inequality. These include an inability to see unfairness as […]
Inequality: What Can Be Done About It?
Tony Atkinson, good morning and thank you very much for joining us today. Good morning. You have been working and researching the topic of inequality for a very long time and you’ve had eminent publications in the field. Just to get us going can you let us know again: what are the biggest problems with […]
Reducing Inequality: An Essential Step For Development And Wellbeing
Inequality is emerging as a central issue for the post-2015 development agenda and the establishment of the sustainable development goals. Inequalities in income and wealth cause economic instability, a range of health and social problems, and create a roadblock to the adoption of pro-environment strategies and behaviour. Social and economic inequalities tear the social fabric, […]
