Inequality and the Global Economic Crisis

Inequality, per se, has been with us for millennia. With the creation, growth and deepening of Capitalism across the globe, inequalities take on new dimensions, unknown in previous eras. As Capitalism has spread its wings across the globe over the last 200 or so years, so inequalities have deepened and widened, both inside Nation Sates, between nation States. These inequalities are of income, wealth and of power.This book, written by the widely respected economic historian Douglas Dowd at the age of 90, is notable for his own experience and vivid memory, of the 1929-31 recession. Since the 1980s, and the predominance of the present neo-liberal ideology, all of the inequalities that the book presents have grown rapidly. Written as a critique of the counter-productivity of growing economic inequality and vindicated by the present world banking crisis, Dowd presents a strong argument against capitalist expansion, exploitation and oligarchic rule.Dowd's conclusions, that the globalization and growth of the financial sector will impact painfully upon hundreds of millions of people, unknown to most of us in our lifetime, Dowd's book deals with these issues from the unique perspective of inequality. Presenting both a history of the current crisis and an overview of it's, Inequality will appeal to both a broad general readership, and provides an extremely useful reference point for students of political economy, economic history, contemporary economics and global politics.

Contenu
Prologue

1. Inequality: An Introduction
2. Class Inequality and the Inequality of Political and Social Power
3. Inequality Based on Gender, "Race," Nationalism and Religion
4. Big Business and Inequality
5. Today's Inequality as Worsened by Consumerism and the Media,
6. Globalization: Unintended Consequences, Inc.
7. Financialization: Las Vegas, Inc.
8. Militarism and Inequality
9. Inequality's Consequences for its Victims and its Victimizers regarding: Poverty and Health Care
10. Inequality's Consequences for its Victims and its Victimizers regarding Education, Housing and the Homeless, Nutrition and Hunger, Opportunity, Dignity, Morale, and Family life
11. Inequality's Interacting Consequences for the Economy, Democracy, and Social Decency
12. Comparisons of Inequality and its treatment between the U.S.A. and Western Europe
    Epilogue
    Bibliography
    Index