Poverty and Inequality

“This slim volume offers ample food for thought to scholars with a serious interest in social or economic inequality. The star contributors— economists, sociologists, political scientists, and philosophers—present concepts, theories, and proposals that will stimulate those outside as well as within their home disciplines. While avoiding the circular reasoning characteristic of the 1960's ‘culture of poverty,’ these accessible essays enlarge the concept of poverty—and, I hope, of poverty research and policy—by elaborating the idea that social justice requires measurable equality of capabilities or opportunities, and not merely of economic resources.”—Robert M. Hauser, University of Wisconsin—Madison
“This impressive collection of essays brings together well-known economists, sociologists, and philosophers to discuss the pressing problems of inequality and poverty. Kanbur and Grusky recognize that these timely and difficult issues can only be dealt with by marshalling the intellectual power of our best minds, looking at poverty through the lens of multiple disciplines.”—Joseph E. Stiglitz

This is a collection of essays from leading public intellectuals that identifies major conceptual problems in the analysis of poverty and inequality and advances strategies for reducing poverty and inequality that are consistent with these new conceptual and methodological approaches.

David B. Grusky is Professor of Sociology and incoming Director of the Program on Inequality at Stanford University. His recent books include Occupational Ghettos: The Worldwide Segregation of Women and Men (Stanford 2004) and Mobility and Inequality (Stanford 2005). Ravi Kanbur is T.H. Lee Professor of World Affairs, International Professor of Applied Economics and Management, and Professor of Economics at Cornell University.