LSE Events | Professor Danny Dorling | The Equality Effect: improving life for everyone

Hosted by the International Inequalities Institute at LSE
Speaker(s): Professor Danny Dorling
Chair: Dr Neil Lee

Recorded on 18 May 2017 at The Venue, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre

In more equal countries, human beings are generally happier and healthier, there is less crime, more creativity and higher educational attainment. In this talk to launch his latest book, Danny Dorling shows that the evidence is now so overwhelming that it should be changing politics and society all over the world.

More and more evidence is emerging to suggest that greater economic equality benefits all people in all societies, whether you are rich, poor or in-between. The truth of this generalisation has only become evident recently, and is contentious because it contradicts the views of many in the elite. However, the elite you get in any one country now also appears to be influenced by the levels of inequality you tolerate. The UK and USA voted for Brexit and Trump; Canada, Austria and the Netherlands saw very different recent electoral outcomes.

By spring 2017 it became clear that far more countries were becoming more economically equal than more unequal, putting the equality effect to work. But that is of little comfort for the minority of people who live in the few very unequal countries that still see high inequalities, rising or only slowly falling, and in which politics then become increasingly bizarre. The most economically unequal countries in the rich world are now the USA, Israel and the UK. In all three cases sustaining very high rates of inequality is becoming increasingly expensive.

[karlviolin]

this non academic very much enjoys professor Dorling, find his lectures engaging and very informative/interesting, a pleasure to watch
thankyou professor and LSE for putting this out

[davidharris]

Have to say the Professor speaks a hell of a lot of sense, especially his closing comments, he’s someone who understands that the people who are classed as having an unskilled job, or what the majority of the U.K. called unskilled are human beings, in the words of Shelly, ye are many, they are few, when the people who sweep the streets, deliver the goods, fill the shelves realise they have the upper hand, we may have an equal society

[Areflection]

I am new to Danny Dorling and must say that to have an honest academic perspective is just so refreshing.

[shawnwilliam]

Living in the US I can tell you everything he is saying is true....in the US it it so bad that we have an unofficial caste system....almost as bad as 🇮🇳....but unwritten.... I have a decent Union job... The pay puts me in the middle Do I like the job I despise the job.. I wanted To be a speech psychologist but at age 18 and 19 I was unable to get my add meds.... Once I had gotten the job I'm still stuck at At the age of I went back to college and with some help was able to get into the speech language pathology/audiology I got up to a 120 credits which is a bachelor's degree but it will get you nothing in that deal I needed a To earn that master's I would have had to quit my job and lose my health insurance.... Which would have put me right back in the add conundrum.... Not only would I have had to quit my job I would have had to take it out a loan of over I figured There's no chance.... Just stay where I am.... Everything I've learned to become educated in various thanks I've had to teach myself and read.... Look at lectures like this.... I will tell you that now I the lutely regret the fact that my family was forced to leave Ireland and I do have a right to return to Ireland.... And someday I'd like to do that cause life here.... Aside from my family... And wife and my brother and close family and a few close friends.... The United States is a horrible society to live in.... It doesn't just lead to stress and overeating.. I've done some of that got a few extra pounds.... But it does cause addiction to prescriptions stress pills... Pills in the benzodiazipine family.... A medicine that turns on you over time.... But I'm telling you the need to escthe shittiness and stupidity Of American culture even if only temporary and in your head is Winning off of those Benzo's right now... I realized They are worse.... It's not an easy process and hes right... If you are a person who cares about changing things or helping people.... Which is the reason I wanted to get in the speech pathology because my brother had a cleft lip and palate... When I got access to healthcare through my And got treat meant it took me no dominant to figure out what major I wanted to But when I found out That it would be impossible for someone Like me to just take out a $50000 loan... While quitting my job and losing my health care thus bringing back the symptof ADHD... I've been better ever since.... Because I made it I got into the program... I went to college through work through all kinds of shift.... Only to find out that getting a master's degree was completely out of my reach... Especially as I'm paying for a place to live it just sucks.... Anybody thinking of coming to America don't believe the hype.... Our life expectancy is especially in conservative States In the South where there is no social say if that has sunk to 3rd world country levels there are States where the life expectancy in the US is 71 and 69.... It's worse over here than even he is presenting on that It is only a first world country for about 20% of the population if that...

[coastwalker]

Great talk and Q&A, thanks to the LSE and Professor Dorling for posting. Correlation is not automatically causation but the sociological analysis is spot on. Britain probably has a worse problem with inequality than Europe not because of any political philosophy but because of our continuing belief in a class system. Maybe it is also something to do with ignorance being fashionable since the 1970's, culminating in today's post truth society.

[richardmayger]

Now the British will learn what it's like to be governed by the British

[raidenanto]

Talking about inequality. If you lost your job and are on universal credit, if you found a few hours of work, 63% is deducted from UC; however if you are on furlough, hence you are allowed to 80% of your salary but you can have a job on the side. They have a double salary. Those who lost their job due to Covid got punished 3 times: job loss, universal credit, having to pay for those on furlough via that 63% deduction from their benefit if they dare to get back on their feet in this terrifying economy. Just think about this fallacy, it makes your stomach revolt.

[annoyingbstard]

The middle classes: envious of the rich, contemptuous of the poor.

[atomiccritter]

I like how Dorling in his videos refers to Britain as not being normal. I wonder if he has ever done a whole sumamry of just how abnormal Britain actually is

[sallysmith]

Athens is cheap to eat out. Went in 2019. Kebab and chips €1.80 each - if one eats where the locals eat.

[brianwheeldon]

Kia ora Danny, Forecasting 20 years out without reference to the climate and biodiversity crisis we are in globally is a really (really) bad look. Our kids and their kids will be really (really) struggling with food shorts, heat, chaotic weather patterns and the onset of armed groups around the global north, as there is today in the global south. I like what you do, but we have to get real about the evil our governments do in our name with our tax monies around the planet... nga mihi, haere pai

[shawnwilliam]

One thing is for sure 1 of these days. Especially if I can get my family to come along I'm going back to Ireland.. And I have every right to do so... They have the right of return for people who were forced to leave all the way back to great great great grandparents.. My great grandmother was straight off the boat and I qualify.... I can't wait till that day to gets there