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The Spirit Level

Why Equality is Better for Everyone
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( 7,095 ratings, 656 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett explores how societies with greater economic equality tend to fare better across a variety of social and health measures. The book examines the impact of income disparity on communities and individual well-being, arguing for the societal benefits of reducing economic inequality. Through empirical research, the authors illustrate how more equitable societies lead to happier, healthier populations.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you're interested in understanding how economic and social inequality impacts societies, you might find this book fascinating. It offers insights into how unequal societies contribute to various health and social problems, making it a compelling read for those interested in social sciences, policy-making, and public health matters.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Why do we mistrust people more in the UK than in Japan? Why do Americans have higher rates of teenage pregnancy than the French? The answer: inequality. This book provides hard evidence to show: how almost everything - from life expectancy to mental illness, violence to illiteracy - is affected not by how wealthy a society is, but how equal it is.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A groundbreaking work on the root cause of our ills, which is changing the way politicians think.

Why do we mistrust people more in the UK than in Japan? Why do Americans have higher rates of teenage pregnancy than the French? What makes the Swedish thinner than the Greeks? The answer is inequality.

This groundbreaking book, based on years of research, provides hard evidence to show:

  • How almost everythingโ€”from life expectancy to depression levels, violence to illiteracyโ€”is affected not by how wealthy a society is, but how equal it is.
  • That societies with a bigger gap between rich and poor are bad for everyone in themโ€”including the well-off.
  • How we can find positive solutions and move towards a happier, fairer future.

Urgent, provocative, and genuinely uplifting, The Spirit Level has been heralded as providing a new way of thinking about ourselves and our communities, and could change the way you see the world.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241954294

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 November 2010

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Illustration: Integrated Cartoons

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 21.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 292g

Pages: 400

About the Author

Richard Wilkinson has played a formative role in international research and his work has been published in 10 languages. He studied economic history at the London School of Economics before training in epidemiology and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Nottingham Medical School and Honorary Professor at University College London. Kate Pickett is a Professor of Epidemiology at the University of York and a National Institute for Health Research Career Scientist. She studied physical anthropology at Cambridge, nutritional sciences at Cornell and epidemiology at Berkeley before spending four years as an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago. Her work, with Richard Wilkinson, on The Spirit Level was shortlisted for Research Project of the Year 2009 by the Times Higher Education Supplement, and their book was chosen as one of the Top Ten Books of the Decade, by the New Statesman.

Also by Kate Pickett

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  • The Inner Level
    The sequel to the global phenomenon The Spirit Level, this book explores the impact of inequality on each of us individually. Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett's The Spirit Level, now published in more than twenty languages, has been one of the most influential non-fiction books published in the last decade. It shows conclusively how less equal societies fare worse than...
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Also by Richard Wilkinson

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  • The Inner Level
    The sequel to the global phenomenon The Spirit Level, this book explores the impact of inequality on each of us individually. Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett's The Spirit Level, now published in more than twenty languages, has been one of the most influential non-fiction books published in the last decade. It shows conclusively how less equal societies fare worse than...
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