Wilkinson Picketts Spirit Level Book Essays - 1401 Words

Wilkinson Pickett, (WP) assert that society on the whole would be healthier, more successful and happier if the gap between the affluent and the poor was tightened. The ‘Spirit Level Book’, written by them in 2010, is one of the most influential books on social policy to date and it argues that not only does inequality affect the ones down the bottom of the ladder but everyone across the board. Affluent countries perform better when social indicators are more equal across society. This essay will assess the validity of Wilkinson Pickett’s conclusions by comparing the works of authors that support similar arguments, to the work of authors who disagree with them. A comparison of these different approaches, with a critical look at what†¦show more content†¦Dean argued that low standards in one or more of these areas lead to social problems, such as drug abuse, homicide, homelessness which affect all levels of society. Rowlingson (2011) agrees with Wilkinson and Pickett that there is indeed a strong correlation between income and health and social problems. In her report she includes the ‘Marmot Review’ (Marmot, 2010) which shows evidence that people living in England in the poorest areas compared to those living in the richest will, on average, die 7 years earlier. This suggests a clear link between class and health. The report further notes other additional factors, such as infant mortality, and mental and physical well being go hand in hand with inequality. A discussion of the opposing arguments The evidence does appear to suggest that inequality does play a major factor in certain measures of social well-being. However, there have been many researchers that disagree/critique this claim. The authors of ‘The Spirit Level Delusion’ (2010) attack this notion and conception of inequality, health and growing gaps between rich and poor, suggesting that Wilkinson and Pickett have no real evidence supporting their claims on this issue. Confounding factors and other variables, such as absolute income,Show MoreRelatedLiterature Review Of Literature On Economic Inequality1470 Words   |  6 PagesLiterature Review An extensive amount of material has been written about Economic inequality and how it affects various aspects of quality of life. The literature is diverse with recent works such as Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett’s The Spirit Level, which suggests that economic inequality has a detrimental effect on several factors such as increased crime, increased obesity, and worse mental health within a country. Simon Kuznets, an influential America economist set an economic paradigm which