The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies StrongerIt is a well-established fact that in rich societies the poor have shorter lives and suffer more from almost every social problem. The Spirit Level, based on thirty years of research, takes this truth a step further. One common factor links the healthiest and happiest societies: the degree of equality among their members. Further, more unequal societies are bad for everyone within them-the rich and middle class as well as the poor. |
Contents
The end of an era | 3 |
Poverty or inequality? | 15 |
How inequality gets under the skin | 31 |
Community life and social relations | 49 |
Mental health and drug use | 63 |
Physical health and life expectancy | 73 |
wider income gaps wider waists | 89 |
Educational performance | 103 |
unequal opportunities | 157 |
Dysfunctional societies | 173 |
Our social inheritance | 197 |
Equality and sustainability | 217 |
Building the future | 235 |
Postscript Research Meets Politics | 273 |
The Equality Trust | 299 |
Sources of Data for the Indices | 306 |
Other editions - View all
The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger Richard Wilkinson,Kate Pickett Limited preview - 2011 |
The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger Richard Wilkinson,Kate Pickett Limited preview - 2010 |
The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger Richard Wilkinson,Kate Pickett Limited preview - 2009 |