Suresh K. Lodha & Ben Crow 
The Atlas of Global Inequalities [EPUB ebook] 

Drawing on research from around the world, this atlas gives shape and meaning to statistics, making it an indispensable resource for understanding global inequalities and an inspiration for social and political action. Inequality underlies many of the challenges facing the world today, and
The Atlas of Global Inequalities considers the issue in all its dimensions. Organized in thematic parts, it maps not only the global distribution of income and wealth, but also inequalities in social and political rights and freedoms. It describes how inadequate health services, unsafe water, and barriers to education hinder people’s ability to live their lives to the full; assesses poor transport, energy, and digital communication infrastructures and their effect on economic development; and highlights the dangers of unclean and unhealthy indoor and outdoor environments. Through world, regional, and country maps, and innovative and intriguing graphics, the authors unravel the complexity of inequality, revealing differences between countries as well as illustrating inequalities within them.


Topics include: the discrimination suffered by children with a disability; the impact of inefficient and dangerous household fuels on the daily lives and long-term health of those who rely on them; the unequal opportunities available to women; and the reasons for families’ descent into, and reemergence from, poverty.

Inhoudsopgave

Authors

Acknowledgments

Introduction


1 Economic Inequalities


Income

Income inequality both between and within countries has risen dramatically during the

process of industrialization.


Household Wealth

Household wealth is unevenly distributed across the world. A huge proportion is

concentrated in the hands of a very few.


Consumption

Poor households have to spend most of their income on food, with little left for other

purposes.


Work & Unemployment

Differences in livelihoods, remuneration, unemployment, and underemployment create

considerable inequalities.


Labor Migration

Labor migration can help address global inequalities.


2 Power Inequalities


International Trade

Globally determined commodity prices and high tariffs on imports from poorer nations

create barriers to trade equality.


Budget Priorities

The proportion of GDP that governments spend on the military, healthcare, education,

and social security provides one measure of their social priorities.


Government Action

In response to popular pressure, governments may attempt to reduce inequality through

minimum wage laws, progressive taxation, and land reforms.


Freedom & Democracy

While freedoms and democracy are hard to quantify, even rough measures indicate

significant inequalities within and between nations.


Incarceration & Execution

Rates of imprisonment vary widely around the world, and the use of

execution is rare in industrialized countries.


3 Social Inequalities


Gender

Bias against women is reflected in their unequal political and economic participation

and influence, their hours in unpaid work, and in the preference for sons over

daughters.


Age

Age distinctions can create inequalities by excluding age groups and undervaluing their

work. Population structures provide impetus for looking beyond national boundaries.


Class

Class divisions separate the rich and powerful from those who have little opportunity to

gain wealth and influence.


Race & Ethnicity

Some minority ethnic and religious groups suffer systematic discrimination. Inequalities

associated with ethnicity are frequently intertwined with those of gender and poverty.


Child Labor

Millions of children are employed in paid or household work. Raising wages and

reducing poverty is the most effective way of reducing child labor.


4 Inequalities of Access


Poverty

Poverty remains widespread, but recent studies suggest new avenues for action.


Hunger

Hunger, is one of the most devastating dimensions of inequality. Children are

particularly at risk from its effects.


Household Water

Poor people and those living in rural areas are least likely to have easy access to safe

drinking water.


Energy

Energy is a prerequisite for economic opportunities and human development that

remains inaccessible to many due to poverty, rural location, or lack of infrastructure.


Household Fuel

Most people in developing countries have access only to biomass and solid fuels for

household use. These fuels pose serious health hazards.


Mobility

The opportunity to travel easily and safely even for short distances is a key indicator of

both economic and gender inequality.


Digital Divide

The digital divide between industrialized and non-industrialized countries constrains the

advance of healthcare, education, social freedoms, and livelihoods.


5 Health Inequalities


Life Expectancy

Societies with higher GDP tend to have higher life expectancy. Societies with greater

equality achieve longer life spans than more unequal societies.


Maternal Mortality

The half a million women who die each year from complications related to pregnancy

are mainly from the poorest people in the least developed countries.


Child Mortality

Children in developing countries become sick and often die of preventable or treatable

diseases.


Access to Healthcare

Access to healthcare is worst in low-income countries, in rural areas and for the poor.

The rich benefit most from government health expenditure.


Infectious Diseases

Malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis have a devastating effect on the poorest and most

vulnerable people in developing countries.


6 Educational Inequalities


Literacy

Poverty, poor quality education, and lack of educational opportunity for girls all

influence national literacy levels.


Barriers to Education

Poverty, gender, disability, language, location, and ethnicity constitute major barriers to

education.


Early Childhood Care & Education

Children who are denied access to early childhood care and pre-school education suffer

a range of health and educational disadvantages.


7 Environmental Inequalities


Climate Change

Industrialized countries have historically been the largest carbon emitters, but

developing nations and the poor bear the brunt of the resultant climate disasters.


Deforestation

Rapid deforestation is having a negative environmental impact and threatening the

livelihoods of a quarter of the world’s population.


Air Pollution & Health

Air pollution, both indoors and outdoors, is a significant cause of death and disabling

disease.


Water & Health

A tenth of all disease could be alleviated by improvements in household water,

sanitation, and water-resource management. The poor are most likely to lack clean

water and sanitation services.


8 Towards Equality


9 Data, Definitions & Sources


Table 1: Income, Expenditure, & Earnings


Table 2: Access to Health & Services


Definitions

Sources

Index

Over de auteur

Ben Crow is the author of books including The Food Question, Markets, Class and Social Change, and Sharing the Ganges. He is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Suresh K. Lodha is Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has published more than 100 articles in journals and conferences.