Interrogating Inequality

Interrogating Inequality PDF Author: Erik Olin Wright
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
This lively new collection from one of America's leading sociologists covers a wide range of theoretical problems of interest to radical social scientists and political activists. The book opens with a fascinating autobiographical essay exploring the challenges and benefits of being a Marxist scholar in the present era. Following this is a discussion of various issues in class analysis, with particular attention being paid to two overarching themes: class and inequality, and the relationship between class and power. The second section of the book engages the problem of socialism as a possible future to capitalism. Wright attempts to clarify the conceptual status of socialism, and discusses why certain reforms such as basic income grants may ultimately require the introduction of some form of socialism for their full realization. Interrogating Inequality concludes by examining the general problem of Marxism as a tradition of radical social theory. Three issues in particular are discussed: the central principles of "analytical Marxism" as a strategy for reconstructing Marxism as a social scientific theory; the relationship between Marxism and feminism as emancipatory social theories; and the prospects for Marxism in the aftermath of the collapse of communist regimes.

Interrogating Inequality

Interrogating Inequality PDF Author: Erik Olin Wright
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Get Book Here

Book Description
This lively new collection from one of America's leading sociologists covers a wide range of theoretical problems of interest to radical social scientists and political activists. The book opens with a fascinating autobiographical essay exploring the challenges and benefits of being a Marxist scholar in the present era. Following this is a discussion of various issues in class analysis, with particular attention being paid to two overarching themes: class and inequality, and the relationship between class and power. The second section of the book engages the problem of socialism as a possible future to capitalism. Wright attempts to clarify the conceptual status of socialism, and discusses why certain reforms such as basic income grants may ultimately require the introduction of some form of socialism for their full realization. Interrogating Inequality concludes by examining the general problem of Marxism as a tradition of radical social theory. Three issues in particular are discussed: the central principles of "analytical Marxism" as a strategy for reconstructing Marxism as a social scientific theory; the relationship between Marxism and feminism as emancipatory social theories; and the prospects for Marxism in the aftermath of the collapse of communist regimes.

Democratizing Inequalities

Democratizing Inequalities PDF Author: Caroline W. Lee
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479847275
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
Opportunities to “have your say,” “get involved,” and “join the conversation” are everywhere in public life. From crowdsourcing and town hall meetings to government experiments with social media, participatory politics increasingly seem like a revolutionary antidote to the decline of civic engagement and the thinning of the contemporary public sphere. Many argue that, with new technologies, flexible organizational cultures, and a supportive policymaking context, we now hold the keys to large-scale democratic revitalization. Democratizing Inequalities shows that the equation may not be so simple. Modern societies face a variety of structural problems that limit potentials for true democratization, as well as vast inequalities in political action and voice that are not easily resolved by participatory solutions. Popular participation may even reinforce elite power in unexpected ways. Resisting an oversimplified account of participation as empowerment, this collection of essays brings together a diverse range of leading scholars to reveal surprising insights into how dilemmas of the new public participation play out in politics and organizations. Through investigations including fights over the authenticity of business-sponsored public participation, the surge of the Tea Party, the role of corporations in electoral campaigns, and participatory budgeting practices in Brazil, Democratizing Inequalities seeks to refresh our understanding of public participation and trace the reshaping of authority in today’s political environment.

The Political Economy of Social Inequalities

The Political Economy of Social Inequalities PDF Author: Vincente Navarro
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1351863916
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 537

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Book Description
In the last two decades of the 20th century, we witnessed a dramatic growth in social inequalities within and among countries. This has had a most negative impact on the health and quality of life of large sectors of the populations in the developed and underdeveloped world. This volume analyzes the reasons for this increase in inequalities and its consequences for the well-being of populations. Scholars from a variety of disciplines and countries analyze the different dimensions of this topic.

The Killing Fields of Inequality

The Killing Fields of Inequality PDF Author: Göran Therborn
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0745679919
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
Inequality is not just about the size of our wallets. It is a socio-cultural order which, for most of us, reduces our capabilities to function as human beings, our health, our dignity, our sense of self, as well as our resources to act and participate in the world. This book shows that inequality is literally a killing field, with millions of people dying premature deaths because of it. These lethal effects of inequality operate not only in the poor world, but also, and increasingly, in rich countries, as Therborn demonstrates with data ranging from the US, the UK, Finland and elsewhere. Even when they survive inequality, millions of human lives are stunted by the humiliations and degradations of inequality linked to gender, race and ethnicity, and class. But this book is about experiences of equalization too, highlighting moments and processes of equalization in different parts of the world - from India and other parts of Asia, from the Americas, as well as from Europe. South Africa illustrates the toughest challenges. The killing fields of inequality can be avoided: this book shows how. Clear, succinct, wide-ranging in scope and empirical in its approach, this timely book by one of the world’s leading social scientists will appeal to a wide readership.

The Politics of Economic Inequality in Developing Countries

The Politics of Economic Inequality in Developing Countries PDF Author: P. Nel
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 023058408X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 215

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Book Description
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.

Interrogating Inclusive Growth

Interrogating Inclusive Growth PDF Author: K. P. Kannan
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317341473
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
The high growth performance of the Indian economy since the launch of economic reforms in the early 1990s has been much lauded. But how much of this growth has made its way to the poor? In a radical assessment of ‘inclusive growth’, this book probes the impact of neo-liberal policies on employment, poverty and inequality. It critiques the claim that market-friendly economic reform policies ‘trickle down’ to the poor and reduce poverty and deprivation. The author uses exhaustive data — from the formal and informal sectors — to create a profile of the aam aadmi. He advocates the need for a broad-based growth and development strategy that alone will address the many-sided social and economic inequalities in India. The volume will be useful to scholars and students of economics, development studies, labour studies, and sociology.

Inequality: Economic and Social Issues

Inequality: Economic and Social Issues PDF Author: Mats Lundahl
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040097634
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
Inequalities of opportunity affect a person’s life expectancy and access to basic services and human rights through discrimination, abuse, and lack of access to justice. High levels of inequality of opportunity discourage skill accumulation, choke economic and social mobility, and, consequently, depress economic growth. Inequality also entrenches uncertainty, vulnerability, and insecurity; undermines trust in institutions and government, increases social discord and tensions, and triggers violence and conflicts. This book presents wide-ranging perspectives on economic inequality, as measured by differences in incomes and wealth. The contributors to the book explore how the economy is shaped in such a way as to generate differences in economic and social welfare between individuals, regions, and nations. But the book is not limited to economic perspectives: inequality is a many-faceted phenomenon that manifests itself in a number of ways. Thus, the book begins with a section which highlights some of the ‘standard’ features of inequality: class, gender, and age. The second section explores the manifestation of inequality in terms of differences in income and wealth. The third section looks at some of the causes of inequality, exploring the effects of discrimination and plunder (by those in power). The final section serves to drive home the point that geographic and institutional factors have an important place as well when it comes to shedding light on what equality is, how it manifests itself, and what its consequences are. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the causes and consequences of economic inequality including those in economics, sociology, politics, and geography.

Engaging Erik Olin Wright

Engaging Erik Olin Wright PDF Author: Michael Burawoy
Publisher: Verso Books
ISBN: 1804294950
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 379

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Book Description
A collection of essays exploring emancipatory social science, inspired by the work of pioneering sociologist Erik Olin Wright Erik Olin Wright was one of the most brilliant and world renowned social scientists of our era. He left us in 2019 with an unfinished project - the articulation of class and utopia. Wright's sociological Marxism embarked from an original class analysis, with its trade-mark contradictory class locations, that empirically mapped class structures across the globe. In response to the collapse of communism and the rise of neoliberalism, Wright turned to the premise of class analysis, that is the possibility of socialism. Forsaking Marxism's allergy to utopian thinking, Wright searched the planet for institutions that might sow the seeds of socialism – such as cooperatives, participatory budgeting, basic income grants – institutions that might dissolve racial, gender, and class inequalities by eroding capitalism. His last book How to be an Anticapitalist in the Twenty-First Century, published posthumously in over a dozen languages has become a manifesto for a new world, bringing together and inspiring social movement activists. The essays in this volume pay tribute to his generative theory, his crystalline teaching and his personal warmth. The authors – all close colleagues or former students – wrestle with the relationship between his two expanding research programs, class analysis and real utopias. They burn the candle from either end, all galvanized by Wright's genius and vision to reinvent Marxism.

The Politics of Education Policy in an Era of Inequality

The Politics of Education Policy in an Era of Inequality PDF Author: Sonya Douglass
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317397916
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
In a context of increased politicization led by state and federal policymakers, corporate reformers, and for-profit educational organizations, The Politics of Education Policy in an Era of Inequality explores a new vision for leading schools grounded in culturally relevant advocacy and social justice theories. This timely volume tackles the origins and implications of growing accountability for educational leaders and reconsiders the role that educational leaders should and can play in education policy and political processes. This book provides a critical perspective and analysis of today’s education policy landscape and leadership practice; explores the challenges and opportunities associated with teaching in and leading schools; and examines the structural, political, and cultural interactions among school principals, district leaders, and state and federal policy actors. An important resource for practicing and aspiring leaders, The Politics of Education Policy in an Era of Inequality shares a theoretical framework and strategies for building bridges between education researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

Understanding Class

Understanding Class PDF Author: Erik Olin Wright
Publisher: Verso Books
ISBN: 1781689210
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Leading sociologist examines how different readings of class enrich our understanding of capitalism Few ideas are more contested today than “class.” Some have declared its death, while others insist on its centrality to contemporary capitalism. It is said its relevance is limited to explaining individuals’ economic conditions and opportunities, while at the same time argued that it is a structural feature of macro-power relations. In Understanding Class, leading left sociologist Erik Olin Wright interrogates the divergent meanings of this fundamental concept in order to develop a more integrated framework of class analysis. Beginning with the treatment of class in Marx and Weber, proceeding through the writings of Charles Tilly, Thomas Piketty, Guy Standing, and others, and finally examining how class struggle and class compromise play out in contemporary society, Understanding Class provides a compelling view of how to think about the complexity of class in the world today.