Inequality and Poverty Re-Examined

The issues surrounding poverty and inequality continue to be of central concern to academics, politicians and policy makers but the way in which we seek to study and understand them continues to change over time. This accessible new book seeks to provide a guide to some of the new approaches that have been developed in the light of international initiatives to reduce poverty and the notable increases in income inequality and poverty that have occurred across many western countries in recent years. These new approaches have to some degree been facilitated by the emergence of new techniques and a growing availability of data that enables cross national comparisons not only of income variables but also of measures of welfare such as education achievement, nutritional status in developing countries and wealth and deprivation indicators in the developed world. Including specially commissioned research from a distinguished list of international authors, this volume makes a real contribution to the public debate surrounding inequality and poverty as well as providing new empirical information about them from around the world.

Stephen P. Jenkins is Professor of Economics and Director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, UK, and Chairperson of the Council of the International Association for Research on Income and Wealth. His current research focuses on income and labour market dynamics, and survival analysis. John Micklewright is a Professor in Social Statistics in the School of Social Sciences, University of Southampton, UK. He was previously Head of Research at UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence, and Professor of Economics at the European University Institute and Queen Mary, University of London. His current research focuses on labour market flows, education, and charitable donations.