Gregg M. Olsen
This groundbreaking book examines the nature and implications of social inequality in a new and illuminating way. The author examines key measures of social inequality and indicators of poverty across six selected nations - three Anglo-American countries (the US, UK, and Canada), and three Nordic
nations (Finland, Norway, and Sweden). Professor Olsen's research shows that while inequality is an inherent and pervasive aspect of capitalism, and while the past few decades have seen sharp rises in inequality across the industrialized world, nonetheless substantial variances between countries
continue to exist. In those countries like the US that have most zealously embraced neoliberalism, inequality and poverty have been exacerbated to a much greater degree than is the case in the Nordic lands, which still rank among the most egalitarian of countries. This cross-national variation
challenges many prominent classical and contemporary theoretical accounts of inequality, and suggests that high levels of social inequality are neither necessary nor inevitable in advanced capitalist societies. They are, rather, the product of constellations of power and the interactions of social
forces.
List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface and Acknowledgments
Part I. Considering Inequality: Conceptualization and Comparison
1. Understanding Inequality: A Comparative Introduction
2. Conceptualizing Equality: Four Ideals
Part II. Measuring Inequality:
Non-Material and Material Indicators
3. Material Indicators of Inequality: Poverty, Income, Wealth, and Life Chances
4. Non-Material Indicator of Inequalities: Rights and Entitlements
Part III. Explaining Inequality: Theoretical Approaches
5. Legitimating Inequality:
Sociobiological, Functionalist, and Culturalist Accounts
6. Challenging Inequality: Power and Conflict Account
References
Index
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Gregg M. Olsen is professor of sociology at the University of Manitoba. He specializes in the study of social inequality and its political causes.