Cultivating equality

Income inequality is front-page news, but few sources explore the complex data related to it as carefully as British economist Anthony Atkinson. As an economic adviser in Europe, Atkinson has ob­served the impacts of many attempts to address income inequality. His book is oriented toward the Euro­pean scene, but the United States is included in most of the statistical comparisons, and Atkin­son’s policy suggestions are worthy of consideration by all who seek fair and equitable outcomes.

In the first part of the book Atkinson employs charts and graphs to show income distribution trends stretching over a century. Despite the complexity of the data, Atkinson sets up the problem of income inequality in convincing fashion and prepares readers for his discussion of solutions.

The second part of the book spells out 15 proposals for action to reduce income inequality. Many will find these proposals radical. The third part of the book considers the feasibility of his plan.