- Inequalities is a biweekly blog by Ben Baumberg Geiger (and formerly also edited by Rob de Vries and Brendan Saloner) about inequalities-related research in the UK, US and beyond. The blog was originally a collaborative blog (we explain the change here), so from 2010 to 2014 there's also a collection of great posts by a series of other contributors. If you want to stay updated, then see the subscription options in this column further down the page.
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- On being more like John Hills February 8, 2021 Ben Baumberg Geiger
- Perceptions of poverty levels: a long view August 19, 2019 Guest Blogger
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Tag Archives: economic downturn
The Coalition, benefit cuts, and income inequality
This is a piece that first appeared in One Society‘s ‘half-term report’ on the Coalition Government and inequality (references and footnotes available in the full report). The whole (short!) edited volume is also worth a read, containing articles by Kate … Continue reading
Why more equal societies have more stable economies
In this guest post, the writer/researcher and author of ‘The Cost of Inequality’ Stewart Lansley looks at the link between equality and economic stability – building on Rob de Vries’ earlier two posts on the blog. According to current economic orthodoxy, … Continue reading
Stretching the Food Dollar During the Great Recession
American families pinched by the recession that began in 2007 made cuts in their budgets on purchases ranging from cars to television to new homes. Less visible, but no less important, many families changed their food purchasing habits. Research by … Continue reading
Riots, demonstrations and welfare cuts
Some people just aren’t bothered by welfare cuts. If the cuts don’t affect you personally, and you only discuss them in terms of abstract principles and ‘dependency culture’, then the cuts are distant; the stuff of politicians’ rhetoric and newspaper … Continue reading
Posted in Blog posts
Tagged crime, cross-national research, economic downturn, poverty, welfare payments
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An Emotional Rollercoaster: Trends in Subjective Wellbeing During the Economic Downturn
Since 2008 Gallup has polled a random sample of 1,000 Americans daily (link here) about their subjective well-being. The data provide a rich basis for examining the short-run effects of the economic recession on self-reported happiness, life evaluation, and stress. … Continue reading
Posted in Blog posts
Tagged economic downturn, ethics, happiness, public opinion, subjective wellbeing
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The mysterious non-claiming unemployed
Throughout the financial crisis there’s been a puzzle gnawing at me, which seems critically important – yet has been barely mentioned. It’s glaringly obvious when looking at the BBC news reports after every release of the unemployment figures, the latest … Continue reading
Unemployment Disparities in Three Pictures
Any way you look at it, the unemployment numbers released this week are good news for American workers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the economy added 243,000 new jobs (at least after applying seasonal adjustments), and the official … Continue reading
What Does it Mean to be Poor?
Dismal news. As was widely reported this week, the official poverty rate climbed again in 2010 to 15.1 percent – the highest level since 1994. The already inflated 2009 rate was 14.3 percent of individuals. The report also revealed that … Continue reading
Posted in Blog posts
Tagged economic downturn, food, material hardship, measurement, poverty, welfare payments
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It Starts with the Bank and Ends in the ER
How do economic downturns affect population health? In several groundbreaking papers Chris Ruhm showed that some health outcomes actually improved during the recessions of the previous three decades: people smoked and drank less, they stayed off the roads leading to … Continue reading
Crime and the Economic Downturn
Here are some headlines from 2008: “Keeping Wary Eye on Crime as Economy Sinks” – New York Times (October 9) “Economic downturn hits U.S. police with double whammy” – Reuters (October 21) “Will Recession Make Cities Dangerous Again?” – ABC … Continue reading