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Inequality

Inequality
Inequality
Inequality is defined as both unjust and unequal distributions and outcomes. The focus here is on economic inequality, because most of the world’s population lives in capitalist societies where access to and quality of various elements of social well-being – including nutrition, shelter, health, education, employment opportunities, clean environments, leisure, security, social stability, and so forth – are increasingly determined by purchasing ability. Economic inequality inevitably creates social inequality, as some groups are denied access to these basic elements of social well-being. Geographers first became interested in the spatial implications of inequality during the 1970s, particularly within two key foundational subfields (Marxist urban political economy and welfare geography). The waning geographical interest in inequality during the 1980s was re-energized by the resurgence of global(ized) inequality in the 1990s and beyond, focusing on terms of income polarization and concentrated poverty. The role of the (welfare) state in mediating inequality is also discussed, including the sense that the state is now magnifying, rather than countering or ignoring, inequality. Similar issues are then highlighted in the less-developed world, particularly with regard to the urbanization of poverty and the spatial separation of the classes. Finally, a glimpse is offered into how geographers are currently studying inequality
concentrated poverty, global city, inequality, inequity, polarization, poverty, spatial inequality, welfare geography, welfare state
9780080449111
433-445
Elsevier
Deverteuil, Geoffrey
22636102-b1c3-47fc-936a-f370dd6d5856
Kitchen, Robert
Thrift, Nigel
Deverteuil, Geoffrey
22636102-b1c3-47fc-936a-f370dd6d5856
Kitchen, Robert
Thrift, Nigel

Deverteuil, Geoffrey (2009) Inequality. In, Kitchen, Robert and Thrift, Nigel (eds.) International Encyclopedia of Human Geography. Kidlington, UK. Elsevier, pp. 433-445. (doi:10.1016/B978-008044910-4.00963-9).

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

Inequality is defined as both unjust and unequal distributions and outcomes. The focus here is on economic inequality, because most of the world’s population lives in capitalist societies where access to and quality of various elements of social well-being – including nutrition, shelter, health, education, employment opportunities, clean environments, leisure, security, social stability, and so forth – are increasingly determined by purchasing ability. Economic inequality inevitably creates social inequality, as some groups are denied access to these basic elements of social well-being. Geographers first became interested in the spatial implications of inequality during the 1970s, particularly within two key foundational subfields (Marxist urban political economy and welfare geography). The waning geographical interest in inequality during the 1980s was re-energized by the resurgence of global(ized) inequality in the 1990s and beyond, focusing on terms of income polarization and concentrated poverty. The role of the (welfare) state in mediating inequality is also discussed, including the sense that the state is now magnifying, rather than countering or ignoring, inequality. Similar issues are then highlighted in the less-developed world, particularly with regard to the urbanization of poverty and the spatial separation of the classes. Finally, a glimpse is offered into how geographers are currently studying inequality

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Submitted date: May 2007
Published date: July 2009
Keywords: concentrated poverty, global city, inequality, inequity, polarization, poverty, spatial inequality, welfare geography, welfare state

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Local EPrints ID: 69180
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/69180
ISBN: 9780080449111
PURE UUID: 887d1999-a9e2-43d7-bb46-80c04543eb13

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Date deposited: 22 Oct 2009
Last modified: 13 Mar 2024 19:26

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Contributors

Author: Geoffrey Deverteuil
Editor: Robert Kitchen
Editor: Nigel Thrift

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