The Killing Fields of Inequality

1. The Killing Fields of Inequality Göran Therborn University of Cambridge University of Helsinki 11.9.2013

2. From Differences to Inequalities • In pre-moderntimestherewas no inequality • Thereweredifferences, includingbetweenrich & poor, or betweenrulers, noblemen, freesubjects, & slaves • Like differencesbetweenyoung and old, men and women • In Europe & America inequality was discovered by the Enlightenment & highlighted by the later 18th c. Atlantic revolutions • Spread around the world by nationalist and socialist currents

3. What is the differencebetwerendifference & inequality? Difference Inequality Dissimilarity Intrinsiccommonality of unitscompared Sociallyonstructued Normativeconcept : violation of someequality Modern • Dissimilarity • No necessarycommonality • Given (by God, nature) or chosen (style) • Usuallyevaluation, but no necessary normative state • Ancient human concept

4. Inequality in EarlyModernity & in 20th c. Social Science • Civic inequality vs. Equalitybefore the law • Inequality of opportunity vs. Meritocracy • Sociology of social mobility • Income/wealth inequality vs. ditto Equality • Inequality of prestige, ”stratification”, accepted & studied • Specialty of US sociology • Differences of gender & race supported, ignored, or marginalized • Until last 3rd of 20th century • Differences of life & healthexpectancy, accepted or ignored

5. 21st Century: A WiderField of Inequalities(late 20th c. legacy) • The Existential Challenge • Feminism • Anti-racism • Modernity´ssuppressed: Natives, handicapped, homosexuals • Questionings by new Moral philosophy • J. Rawls, A Theory of Justice (l971) • A. Sen, Equality of What? (l979/80) • A. Sen, The Idea of Justice (2009) • Vital Inequality & Findings of Epidemology • Michael Marmot, The Status Syndrome (2004) • Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett, The Spirit Level (2009) • The Global Concerns & Information Gathering of international organizations, in particular by the UN family of organizations: UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, WHO, CEPAL in Latin America, et al.

6. Multidimensionality of (In)Equality(In)Equality of What? • ”What is it like to be a human being?” (A. Sen) • Human beings are organisms, bodies, susceptible to pain, suffering & death, & capable of development & pleasure • Humans are persons, existing, livingtheir personal lives in social contexts of meaning, of recognition, respect, & freedom – or theiropposites • Human beings are actors with resources, & with aspirations & aims, whichcan be attained or frustrated

7. Three Kinds of InequalityDe-Segregatinginequality studies • Vital (in)equality : Life chances of human organisms • Mortality rates, life expectancy, healthexpectancy, birthweight, childgrowth • Existential (In)equalityCapability of persons • Allocations of personal autonomy, recognition & respect, & of theiropposiyes of heteronomy, denial, & humiliation • Resource (in)equality: Resources of social actors • Bases, ”capitals”, to drawupon • Income, wealth • Culture, education • Social contacts • Power • Access, to environmentalresources & to opportunities • Access to water, sanitation, health & care services • Access to opportunities of mobility & change

8. How are inequalitiesproduced? • Four mechanisms • Distanciation, • running ahead, falling behind • Exclusion • Hierarchization • Exploitation • A’ssuperior position derives from B’ssuffering, oppression or from B’slabour

9. Inequality History & Its Future • Vital Inequality • Global equalization 1950-1990, stopped by AIDS in Africa & capitalism in ex-USSR • No national equalization in the 20th century (in probability terms) • ExistentialInequality • After 1945 large-scale, butuneven & everywhereincomplete equalization: decline of institiutionalizedracism, patriarchy & discrimination of indigenouspeoples & homosexuals • Resourceinequality • Income: Longterm global inequalizationlevelledoffsince l950s, on a high plateu; absolute inter-country inequality still rising • Richcountries national equalizationuntil l980, thenmostlybut not everywherereversed Access: mobility by structuralchange, butlittlechange of social fluidity; parental backgroundshapes human life-chances

10. Consequences of inequality • Death • Somaticeffects of psychic/social stress • Ill-health • 5 to 15 moreyears of illness • Stuntedlives • Half of all Indian children are stunted (2 standard deviations shorter for their age according to WHO median) , in some Indian stateswomen are currentlyshrinking • Socio-culturalstunting & humiliation • Wasted talent • Social sundering • Societies torn part, into distrust, fear, violence • Economic squandering, by the privilegedelite • Anti-democracy, politicaldictat-ship

11. The killing fields of inequality • The restotration of capitalism in the ex-Soviet Union: 4 million excess deaths in l990s • In the central British governmentbureaucracy, death followsexactly the officehierarchy, the lower you are, the earlier you die • Life expectancy of Americanswithout a college degree is declining • Finland: increasing life expectancy gap: at age 35: 12.5 yearsbetweentop & bottom malequintiles (7.5 in l988), about the same as national gap to Kazakhstan • Age-standardized death rate amongpoorestfifth of women 35-64 is increasing, as it is among the unemployed

12. Possibilities of Equality Four mechanisms of equality • Approximation: catching up, positive discrimination • Inclusion • De-hierarchization, organizationalflattening • Redistribution

13. The possibilities of capitalist incomeredistribution. Ginicoefficients

14. The Historical Moment of Equality, 1945-1980 • 3 National Trajectories • Western welfarestatecapitalism • NortheastAsian national cohesiondevelopment • Communism, in Europe & in East Asia • Global Patterns • Global incomeinequality stops rising • Global vital equalizationbegins • Global existential equalization starts

15. Causalforces • Peak of central industrialcapitalism, & of industriallabour & industrial socialism • Discredit of the 2 major inegalitarianpoliticalforces of capitalism, rightwingauthoritarianism & rightwing liberalism • Competitioncapitalism-communism

16. The turn to inequality • Central de-industrialization & the financialization of capitalism • The weakening of labour in central capitalism • The implosion of Communism • The substitution of foreigncapitaldevelopment for national social cohesiondevelopment • The return of neoliberal ideology, as the cultural force of capitalrevenge

17. Inequality Is Not A Fate • In Latin America economic, & otherinequalities are declining • 5 of the world´s 10 most competitive economies are among the world’s least unequal countries, • a Gini coeffient <31, incl. No 1 (Switzerland) • Total economicinequality in the world is bending downwards • Thoughpolarizationbetween the richest & the poorest is continuing • Existientialequalization is continuing • First Black US President • Homosexualmarriage is spreading

18. The Future: China & Asiawilldecide • China has rapidlybecomeone of the mostunequalcountries of Asia, perhapsthemostunequal, divergingsharply from the onceequallysuccessfulJapanese-Koreanpath • India has a similar high inequality • But an ”olive-shaped” income distribution has recentlybeenstated as an officialgoal of Chinese policy & Indian social policy is expanding • The actual route taken by the bigAsiancountrieswillaffect the world