It is impossible to read it and not to be impressed by how often greater equality appears to be the answer, whatever happens to be the question. Why greater equality makes societies stronger hardcover january 6, 2010 5. Bellamy primarily used equality to expand on the theories he first explored in looking backward the text is now in the public domain and available for free. The thesis of the book is that life in suburbia is more stressful than life in small towns far from industrial centers. Image of an open book opening into the ocean and shining sun. The spirit level by richard wilkinson and kate pickett books. Why do americans have higher rates of teenage pregnancy than the. This groundbreaking book, based on years of research, provides hard. Visit this site for blog entries and updates on their work.
Wilkinson and kate pickett, published in 2009 by allen lane. Written by kate pickett and richard wilkinson, the book highlights the pernicious effects that inequality has on societies. This groundbreaking book, based on years of research, provides hard evidence to show how almost everything from life expectancy to depression levels, violence to. Click here for a 16 minute lecture by richard wilkinson on the spirit level. The book is published in the us by bloomsbury press december, 2009 with the new subtitle. Groundbreaking analysis showing that greater economic equalitynot greater wealthis the mark of the most successful soc. Why more equal societies almost always do better by richard wilkinson and kate picketta hardhitting study of the. Read the spirit level why greater equality makes societies stronger by richard wilkinson available from rakuten kobo. To help you, weve identified four different levels for our books intended for young children through high school. You will notice that down the side of the youtube page there are further. When choosing books for children, tweens, and teens, it may be difficult to select those that best fit an individuals reading and interest levels.
We hope you will use them in talks, lectures or discussion groups to help increase peoples understanding of the effects of inequality. Angie thomas goodreads author shelved 14 times as equality. Free spirit publishes books for all age levels, from infant to adult. Why more equal societies almost always do better hardcover by. Why do americans have higher rates of teenage pregnancy than the french. Authors wilkinson and pickett work to enact the ideas they put forward in the spirit level on their equality trust website and its campaign for economic equality. This is a popularization of a study on suburban mental problems made by the gordons five years ago in bergen county, n. One common factor links the healthiest and happiest societies. Sources of data for the indices of health and social problems 306. This powerpoint file contains 36 of the more important graphs published in the spirit level.
The following are five different youtube videos on the spirit level. Richard wilkinson and kate picketts the spirit level. If for instance a country does badly on health, you can predict with some confidence that it will also imprison a larger proportion of its population, have more teenage pregnancies, lower literacy scores, more obesity, worse mental health, and so on. Help us get the spirit level film to the finish line new. Why greater equality makes societies stronger duration. Nicholas kristof falls into the equality and fairness trap. Level, through our growth equity and structured capital business lines, invests in and acquires outstanding growth businesses.
In this assiduously researched book, the two british academics demonstrate a powerful link between income inequality and a host of social ills including obesity, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and crime. Richard wilkinson and kate pickett, 2nd edition, penguin books, 2010. You can predict a countrys performance on one outcome from a knowledge of others. The spirit level ebook by richard wilkinson rakuten kobo. Bill moyers this groundbreaking book, based on thirty years research, demonstrates that more unequal societies are bad for. The spirit level was shortlisted for research project of the year 2009 by the times higher education supplement, and was chosen as one of the top ten books of the decade, by the new statesman. Only in portugal, singapore and the united states of america is life expectancy lower and the infant mortality rate higher. Equality is a utopian novel by edward bellamy, and the sequel to looking backward. Reasons to go and read the spirit level by richard wilkinson and kate pickett. It is driven by a simple idea that inequality is the root cause of all societies ills. Written by kate pickett and richard wilkinson, the book highlights. The spirit level why equality is better for everybody.
Authors richard wilkinson and kate pickett examined 25 years of data to show how nearly all social ills stress, poor educational performance, child wellbeing, violence, the decline of community are more common in those societies with a big gap. It tells us how to shift the balance from selfinterested consumerism to a friendlier and more collaborative society. Roy hattersley, the new statesman an eloquent case that the income gap between a nations richest and poorest is the most powerful indicator of a functioning and healthy society. Why equality is better for everyone paperback 4 nov 2010. The spirit level does contain a powerful political message. It is a wellestablished fact that in rich societies the poor have shorter lives and suffer more from almost every social problem. With our commitment to quality, you can trust the levels. It provides a connection between what otherwise look like disparate social problems.
It doesnt matter if the average level of income is very low or very high, it is the gap between rich and poor that is important. How almost everything from life expectancy to depression levels, violence to illiteracy is affected not by how wealthy a society is, but how equal it is that societies with a bigger gap between rich and poor are bad for everyone. Bill moyersthis groundbreaking book, based on thirty years research, demonstrates that more unequal societies are bad for almost everyone within themthe welloff and the poor. About the spirit level groundbreaking analysis showing that greater economic equalitynot greater wealthis the mark of the most successful societies, and offering new ways to achieve it. As the gap between rich and poor widens, epidemiologist richard wilkinson, author, with kate pickett, of the ground breaking book, the spirit level, explains to prabhjit bains that more unequal societies are bad for almost everyone within them not just those at the bottom, and suggests steps that need to be taken for the good of all of us. Why more equal societies almost always do better offers strong support for the claim that income redistribution creates social good. We aim to be the investor of choice for entrepreneurs and businesses with many options for capital. The meticulous research in the spirit level paints a convincing case that he may be right. A groundbreaking work on the root cause of our ills, which is cha.
Further, more unequal societies are bad for everyone. Although first published under a labour government in 2009, this book is still highly relevant now we have a conservative liberal democrat coalition. As the authors point out, although some countries achieve higher equality by redistribution sweden, others start with smaller income differentials and use much less redistribution japan. Why more equal societies almost always do better was published in 2009. All skinner house books are available through inspirit. The spirit level, based on thirty years of research, takes this truth a step further. Why equality is better for everyone is the most influential and talkedabout book on society in the last decade now updated with a new chapter on the controversy the book has ignited. Moreover the problems which are peculiar to suburbia can be attributed mainly to its economya jobhopping, climbing, middleclass, consumption.
After reading the spirit level, it is easy to understand why these methods might work. The spirit level by richard wilkinson and kate pickett is a groundbreaking piece of social science research and analysis. Spirit level meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. It is, or ought to be, impossible to read the spirit level without feeling ashamed to discover that almost all the international comparisons of social wellbeing confirm that the uk has a worse record than almost every other prosperous country. In this book they present the relationship between income inequality and a range of health and social issues, using data from the 23 richest countries and. The spirit level doesnt argue for more government and topdown redistribution. Why more equal societies almost always do better by richard wilkinson and kate picketta hardhitting study of the social effects of inequality has profound implications. Why equality is better for everyone new edition by pickett, kate, wilkinson, richard isbn.
Wilkinson and pickett contend that people in more equal societies live longer, have better mental health and are more socially mobile. Popular equality books showing 150 of 1,349 the hate u give hardcover by. Philip birch, assistant editor, on the spirit level this is one of the most interesting and important books i have ever read. It was then published in a paperback second edition united kingdom in november 2010 by penguin books. Why do we mistrust people more in the uk than in japan.
Why more equal societies almost always do better is a book by richard g. Nicholas kristof falls into the equality and fairness trap again. Richard wilkinson, emeritus professor of epidemiology, nottingham university, spoke at simon fraser university in vancouver, canada about his book,the spirit level. Why equality is better for everyone is the most influential and talkedabout book on society in the last decade now updated with a new chapter on the controversy the book has ignited why do we mistrust people more in the uk than in japan. The spirit level by kate pickett, richard wilkinson.
This groundbreaking book, based on years of research, provides hard evidence to show. A book well worth reading and one hopes politicians of all. This groundbreaking book, based on thirty years research, demonstrates that more unequal societies are bad for almost everyone within themthe welloff. The spirit level goes to the heart of the apparent contrast between the material success and social failings of many modern societies, but it does not simply provide a key to diagnosing our ills. For a book which concludes that either taxes must rise on the rich or their incomes must fall to increase equality, it was an astonishing level of. In short, two methods of attaining greater equality are posed. The importance of the spirit level is that it provides a vital part of the intellectual manifesto on which the battle for a better society can be fought.
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