The Politics of Inequality

Module Code: PO4730

Module Name: The Politics of Inequality (module not available 2013–14; see PO4740)

• ECTS Weighting: 15
• Semester/Term Taught: Michaelmas + Hilary Term
• Contact Hours: 1-2 hours per week
• Module Personnel: Lecturer - Professor Tim Hicks

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• identify and describe empirical trends in inequality in the advanced industrial countries;
• identify and describe the political and economic causes of differences in inequality;
• identify and describe the political consequences of inequality;
• critically read and evaluate social scientific arguments and evidence.

Module Learning Aims

To introduce students to scholarly approaches to studying the political issues surrounding societal inequality.

Module Content

In 2008, the top 10% of the US population received 46% of all income while in Sweden the figure was 28%.  The current economic climate sees governments needing to rebalance their budgets - often dramatically.  This can be achieved both by cutting spending that is often aimed more at the poor or increasing taxes that are often paid more by the rich.  Unsurprisingly, then, inequality is currently very politically salient, but politics as a subject more generally has been described as the study of 'who gets what, when, and how'.  During this course, we will investigate the politics of inequality both across 'developed democracies' and within them. The aim is to develop an understanding of inequality in terms of its contemporary and historical patterns, its causes (both political and otherwise), and its consequences for political participation and policy outcomes.

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Recommended Reading List

Selected journal articles - TBA

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Assessment Details