Wilkinson, R. (2010, October 20). Inequality and the social determinants of health. [Video file]. YouTube.

Lecture on Inequality and Social Issues

Overview

• Topic: The impact of inequality on various societal issues.
• Main Argument: Inequality is socially corrosive, and data supports this claim.
• Evidence Source: Data from the UN and the World Bank.

Key Points

Paradox of Wealth and Life Expectancy

• Global Observation: No relation between a country's wealth (GNI) and life expectancy.
• Local Observation: Within societies, income correlates with health; higher income aligns with better health.

Income Inequality

• Measure Used: Disparity between the top 20% and bottom 20% income earners.
• Example: In more equal countries (e.g., Japan, Sweden), top earners make 3.5-4 times more than bottom earners, compared to twice that in less equal countries (e.g., USA, UK).

Social Problems and Inequality

• Issues Studied: Life expectancy, literacy, infant mortality, crime, incarceration, teenage birth rates, trust, obesity, mental illness, social mobility.
• Finding: More unequal societies do worse on these social problems.

Correlation with Social Dysfunction

• Child Well-being: More unequal societies have worse outcomes in child well-being metrics.
• Trust: Higher trust in more equal societies.
• Mental Illness: Higher rates correlated with inequality.
• Violence and Incarceration: More violence and higher incarceration rates in unequal societies.

Social Mobility

• Comparison: Greater social mobility in more equal societies (e.g., Denmark vs. USA).

General Findings

• Nordic Countries & Japan: Consistently do better on social metrics due to greater equality.
• Equality Methods: Sweden uses redistribution, Japan has smaller initial income differences.

Social and Psychological Effects

• Superiority and Inferiority: Inequality fosters feelings of superiority or inferiority.
• Consumerism: Driven by status competition.
• Stress Research: Social evaluative threat increases stress hormone levels.

Criticism and Counterarguments

• Data Selection: Claims of bias are countered by strict data inclusion rules.
• Robustness: Findings from 200 studies support the link between inequality and health.

Conclusion

• Policy Implications: Suggests both pre-tax and post-tax adjustments to income.
• Goal: Improve psychosocial well-being by narrowing income disparities.

Final Thoughts

• Call to Action: Reducing income inequality can enhance the quality of human life.
• Excitement for Change: The potential of societal improvement through equality is promising.