Politics of Inequality

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Inequality – economic, social, and political – has emerged as a major political concern around the globe in recent years. What is inequality, and what factors contribute to it? What are its impacts, and how concerned (or not) should we be about them? This course examines the politics of inequality in comparative perspective, examining evidence and cases from Latin America (historically the most unequal region in the world), Europe, Asia, Africa, and the United States. Drawing mainly on the disciplines of political science and economics, students will analyze competing definitions of inequality, explore the political and social causes that give rise to it, examine policies designed to combat it, and trace out its implications for economic opportunity and political participation. Course Objectives and Goals: Upon completion of the course, students will be able to: • Articulate and critically assess the principal definitions and concepts examined in the study of economic and political distribution, inequality, and redistribution. These include: equality and inequality, opportunity, the Gini coefficient, risk, insurance, distribution and redistribution, welfare, decommodification, pensions, health care, education, solidarism, privatization, retrenchment, reform, capitalism, credit and microcredit, conditional and unconditional cash transfers, political coalitions, veto players. • Describe the variation in levels of inequality and policies designed to address inequality around the world, drawing on historical and contemporary examples from both developed and developing countries. • Employ social scientific methodology to evaluate competing hypotheses about the origins of inequality, its political implications, and its future. • Formulate realistic policy proposals that address critical problems facing unequal societies today. • Engage and reflect on inequality and difference in their own lived experience, both as students and citizens of their respective countries and the world. Course Requirements: • Roughly 50-75 pages a week of reading. • Regular attendance and participation in class. • One midterm exam. • One final exam. • Two 5-7 page papers. The first will be a critical essay on the meaning and measurement of inequality, and the second will involve research on inequality (and policies to combat it) in a particular country and issue-area of the student’s choosing. • One final reflection paper, reflecting on one’s own experience of inequality and difference and how this shapes one’s political and economic beliefs and choices. Doyle Engaging Difference Program In collaboration with the Doyle Engaging Difference Program, this course will be infused with content that engages issues of diversity, difference, empathy, and student experiences. Thus, students will couple their academic exploration of the topic of inequality with a thoughtful reflection on their own experiences of inequality and difference, and how that experience shapes their identity, beliefs, commitments, and choices.