Author: Erik Olin Wright Publisher: ISBN: Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 298
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.
Author: Caroline W. Lee Publisher: NYU Press ISBN: 1479880604 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 312
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.
Author: Göran Therborn Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 0745679919 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 199
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.
Author: Sonya Douglass Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1317397916 Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 380
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.
Author: Erik Olin Wright Publisher: Verso Books ISBN: 1789601452 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 536
Book Description
Rising inequality of income and power, along with recent convulsions in the finance sector, have made the search for alternatives to unbridled capitalism more urgent than ever. Yet few are attempting this task-most analysts argue that any attempt to rethink our social and economic relations is utopian. Erik Olin Wright's major new work is a comprehensive assault on the quietism of contemporary social theory. A systematic reconstruction of the core values and feasible goals for Left theorists and political actors, Envisioning Real Utopias lays the foundations for a set of concrete, emancipatory alternatives to the capitalist system. Characteristically rigorous and engaging, this will become a landmark of social thought for the twenty-first century.
Author: Vincente Navarro Publisher: Taylor & Francis ISBN: 1351863916 Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 537
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.
Author: K. P. Kannan Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1317341473 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 316
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.
Author: P. Nel Publisher: Springer ISBN: 023058408X Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 215
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.
Author: Mats Lundahl Publisher: Taylor & Francis ISBN: 1040097634 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 243
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.
Author: Fergal Finnegan Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1134057199 Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 185
Book Description
This book focuses on the voices and experiences of non-traditional students in European higher education. It examines the impact that access to higher education is having on these students’ lives and discusses what this tells us about European education and society. In particular, it explores the multi-dimensional nature of inequality in varied national contexts focusing on the issues of class, gender, ethnicity, age and disability. The book contributes to the on-going debate about the changing nature of European higher education and argues that research based on the experiences of non-traditional students can be used to improve policy and practice in tertiary education. Drawing on biographical narrative interviews with ‘non-traditional’ students, the book covers topics including: • the contemporary nature of inequality and how the various forms of inequality intersect and overlap in higher education and society • the formation and transformation of learner identities • the structural barriers faced by non-traditional students • the sources of student resilience and agency • a comparison of patterns of inequality, access and retention in various European countries • the implications of these findings for practice and policies. Student Voices on Inequalities in Higher Education will appeal to academics, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners working in higher education institutions as well as people working in the field of widening participation, adult education, access and centres for teaching and learning. It will also be of interest to postgraduate students in higher education.
Author: Erik Olin Wright
Author: Caroline W. Lee
Author: Göran Therborn
Author: Sonya Douglass
Author: Erik Olin Wright
Author: Vincente Navarro
Author: K. P. Kannan
Author: P. Nel
Author: Mats Lundahl
Author: Fergal Finnegan