The best of the new crop of books on income inequality is anthony b. The economics of inequality by a b atkinson abebooks. The most influential and talkedabout book on society in the last decade. He also advocated the introduction of a basic income. List of books and articles about income inequality. Economic and social justice mind the gap books and arts. Sir anthony barnes tony atkinson cbe fba 4 september 1944 1 january 2017 was a british economist, senior research fellow of nuffield college, oxford, and centennial professor at the london school of economics. Aaron reeves surveys five books on the defining social, political and economic issue of our times. Economic inequality is now in 2015 receiving more attention than at any time since i first started working on the subject in the 1960s. Buy the economics of inequality book online at low prices in.
Piketty follows up capital in the twentyfirst century, last years landmark economic analysis, with a slightly revised version of a book he wrote in 1997. As the economist anthony atkinson observes at the beginning of his new book, inequality is now at the forefront of political debate. Jan 25, 2018 atkinson is a pioneer of the study of the economics of poverty and inequality. Tony atkinson, anthony barnes atkinson, british economist born sept. Inequality is now a prominent public concern, but distributional issues are still shunned by most economists.
Atkinson, an acclaimed british economist who pioneered the study of changes in the distribution of wealth and income, allowing for a better understanding of poverty and. May 30, 20 sir tony atkinson, professor of economics at the university of oxford, is one of the worlds foremost scholars of inequality and the author or editor of more than thirty books on inequality and. We offer this survey of important reads both classic and contemporary. His books include public economics in an age of austerity. In this new book, the doyen of inequality economics in the uk, anthony atkinson whose many students have included piketty sets out what a real plan for. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read lectures on public economics. Read the 15 proposals from inequality what can be done. An economist best economics and business book of the year a financial times best economics book of the year inequality is one of our most urgent social. Economic and social justice mind the gap books and. Atkinson wrote and contributed to numerous authoritative books and articles, beginning with the. I am not sure that i will be able to finish a book he was writing on.
Public economics in an age of austerity, routledge, 2014. Atkinson has a traditional, public economics focus. Lectures on public economics princeton university press. Books for learning economics five books expert recommendations. Sir tony atkinson, the doyen of inequality economics, passed away in. Atkinson, economist who pioneered study of inequality.
This new edition makes it readily available again to a new generation of students and practitioners. Measuring poverty around the world, princeton university press, 2019 more information on the page dedicated to this book inequality what can be done. In his most recent book, published in 2015, inequality. This classic introduction to public finance remains the best advancedlevel textbook on the subject ever written. Jun 26, 2015 in this new book, the doyen of inequality economics in the uk, anthony atkinson whose many students have included piketty sets out what a real plan for reducing inequality would look like. Atkinsons book the distribution of personal wealth in britain 1978, written with a. Buy the economics of inequality book online at low prices. Lectures on public economics remains the most comprehensive and deepest textbook on the subject. Atkinson, is a fascinating book that examines basic policy prescriptions to reduce inequality levels and improve close the wage distribution gap that many nations currently feature. Anthony atkinson was one of the pioneers of research into inequality beginning in the 1960s, one of the original people to put together comprehensive estimates of income shares based on administrative tax data, and a lifelong contributor to both economics and public policy. Atkinson proposed policy ideas such as a minimum inheritance, to be distributed on reaching adulthood. The book is divided into three parts, in simple terms the why, what and how. Following the publication of thomas pikettys book capital in the twentyfirst century, there has been enormous media coverage and it has attracted the attention of world leaders. Kate pickett and richard wilkinsons the spirit level not only changed the way we understand and view inequality, it inspired the creation of the equality trust and our work.
Mar 16, 2017 aaron reeves surveys five books on the defining social, political and economic issue of our times. Sir anthony barnes tony atkinson cbe fba 4 september 1944 1 january 2017 was a british economist, senior research fellow of nuffield college, oxford, and centennial professor at the london school of economics a student of james meade, atkinson virtually singlehandedly established the modern british field of inequality and poverty studies. Sir anthony, who is 70, has been working on inequality and poverty for more than four decades. Pikettys other books tend to run 500 pages or more 700 pages for capital in the 21st century, tomes that require a significant time commitment to get through. Economic growth is also closely aligned to factors such as. The books by piketty and atkinson have prompted renewed attention to matters of economic distribution, and have strengthened a public movement that has put pressure on governments to tackle inequality atkinsons inequality. A student of james meade, atkinson virtually singlehandedly established the modern british field of inequality and poverty.
The us, the uk and many other countries have become far less equal over the past 30 years. Could some one suggest some good books on inequality. In summer 20 the austrian economic association decided to organize its 2014 annual conference on the topic of economics of inequality. The books are listed in reverse chronological order. Want to delve deeper into the issues inequality raises. Atkinson is a fellow of nuffield college, oxford, and centennial professor at the london school of economics. Atkinson did a lot of the groundwork on this topic, because when he was first working on it in the 1990s it was quite controversial, just. Atkinson and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
The mit economics professor daron acemoglu recommends inequality books and reading because he says its important we understand how and why this happened, and what it means for our societies. Atkinson contributions to the economics of inequality and public sector economics i feel somewhat embarrassed introducing you to professor sir anthony b. This column, by a longstanding friend and coauthor, outlines his contributions to the analysis and measurement of inequality and many other areas of economics, including taxation, social protection, and the welfare state. In this new book, the doyen of inequality economics in the uk, anthony atkinson whose many students have included piketty sets out what. Atkinson tried to show that economics is primarily a social and moral. Stiglitz is university professor at columbia university and winner of the nobel prize in economics. Income poverty, affluence and polarisation viewed from the median with r aaberge and h sigstad in monitoring social europe, edited by a b atkinson, ac guio and e marlier, eurostat.
The ultimate goal of atkinsons research was to translate. The reason is that i was a colleague of him during the eighties at the london school of economics. Sir anthony, who is 70, has been working on inequality and. The term is synonymous today with income inequality in the current climate.
Harrison, examined inheritance tax records in britain. Why so few american economists are studying inequality. More than just a program for change, atkinsons book is a voice of hope and informed optimism about the possibilities for political action. According to the distinguished economist anthony atkinson, however, we can.
Pdf economic inequality according atkinson researchgate. Thomas pikettywhose capital in the twentyfirst century pushed inequality to the forefront of public debatewrote the economics of inequality as an introduction to the conceptual and factual background necessary for interpreting changes in economic inequality over time. It is the definitive analysis of inequality in britain and how to reduce it, as viewed through the standard professional economics prism of utilitarianism. The best books on inequality recommended by daron acemoglu. Anthony atkinsons study of inequality is a worthy and accomplished piece of analysis. Lester award for the outstanding book in industrial relations and labor economics, princeton university an economist best economics and business book of the year a financial times best economics book of the year. Maybe the bloggers on both sides had decided that it was time to look at something else secular stagnation, when will the fed achieve liftoff from the zero lower bound, is the phillips curve. But, he insisted when i met him in london a couple of weeks ago, this isnt a recent problemits a change that has taken place over a generation in the uk, and in the us, too. Our cheap used books come with free delivery in the us. Atkinson offers ambitious new policies in technology, employment, social security, sharing of capital, and taxation, and he defends them against the common arguments and excuses for inaction. The discussions presented here offer very insightful views on the limits of tax theory analysis that cannot be found in pure research articles, and help guide students who want to carry out research of their own. This concise text has established itself as an indispensable guide for students and general readers in.
In this new book, the doyen of inequality economics in the uk, anthony atkinson whose many students have included piketty sets out. That is unfortunate for sir anthony atkinson, a british economist who has now written his own book. The books by piketty and atkinson have prompted renewed attention to matters of economic distribution, and have strengthened a public movement that has put pressure on governments to tackle inequality atkinson s inequality. Why it matters, what can be done and how it can be done, which includes an econometric analysis of costs and benefits of some of his proposals. To reduce them, we need fresh ideas that move beyond taxes on the wealthy.
Atkinson is a pioneer of the study of the economics of poverty and inequality. He looks at what has happened in terms of inequality, how we measure it, what kinds of tax and welfare and other policies we could use to reduce inequality. Sir tony atkinson, professor of economics at the university of oxford, is one of the worlds foremost scholars of inequality and the author or editor of more than thirty books on inequality and. The longrun history of income inequality in denmark with j e sogaard, scandinavian journal of economics, 118. Measuring poverty around the world, princeton university press, 2019 more information on the page dedicated to this book. The mit economics professor daron acemoglu recommends inequality books and reading because he says its important we understand how and why this happened, and what it means for our societies interview by. Tony atkinson and francois bourguignon on inequality. Sep 29, 2015 pikettys other books tend to run 500 pages or more 700 pages for capital in the 21st century, tomes that require a significant time commitment to get through. Atkinson, a longtime expert on economic inequality, seeks to lay bare the underlying issues in a manner accessible to noneconomists. Inequality and poverty have returned with a vengeance in recent decades. More than just a program for change, atkinsons book is a voice of. Drew nelles, the globe and mail atkinson is a pioneer of the study of the economics of. Atkinson is the doyen of those scholars who have focused on trends in inequality over the past halfcentury.
Lester award for the outstanding book in industrial relations and labor economics, princeton university an economist best. Nicholas stern, london school of economics and political science. In inequality atkinson places them centre stage, looking at what economic inequality is and why it matters, making some concrete proposals as to what can be done about it, and responding to the most obvious criticisms of those proposals. At that time both the oecd and the imf had already. Income distribution is an economic term referring to the distribution of income within a nations population. Inequality is one of our most urgent social problems. Wealth, income, and inequality anthony barnes atkinson.
Sustainability for a society means longterm viability, but also the ability to cope with economic crises and disasters. He was one of the authors of the chartbook of economic inequality, a resource. Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features. In this important book, he focuses not so much on what has happened or why, but on what. Atkinson shows what might be possible if we stretch our collective imagination and focus on innovative ways to address what is emerging as the defining issue of our time. Atkinson is centennial professor at the london school of economics and an honorary fellow of nuffield college, university of oxford. For the pointer to the atkinson interview i thank enrico schaar. It has sections on ai as a general purpose technology, jobs and inequality, regulation and the implications of machine learning for economics. Sir tony atkinson, the doyen of inequality economics, passed away in january.
May 03, 2015 francois bourguignon has a very good and readable new book on the international dimension of inequality, the globalization of inequality. After covering the landscape of inequality measurement and theories of economic inequality, of both outcomes and opportunity, the author outlines a set of 15 fairly radical proposals to curb runaway inequality assuming. In pikettys economics of inequality, originally published in french in 1997 and released this year in english translation by arthur goldhammer, and anthony atkinsons inequality. In the economics of inequality, piketty boils down the data to about 140 pages plus endnotes, and explains the causes of economic inequality. Overall income inequality, measured by the gini coefficient in the uk in 20123 was 33. First published in 1980, lectures on public economics still tops reading lists at many leading universities despite the fact that the book has been out of print for years. Aug 03, 2015 these factors arent ignored in the economics of inequality, which among other things contains a good discussion of the role of unions in limiting inequality, and how this helps explain. Just as with natural disasters, we can minimize the chance of them occurring and set in place policies to protect the worlds citizens against their consequences. Not unrelatedly, it is also the most solutionsoriented. It may not be surprising, then, that in a 20 issue of the journal of economic perspectives dedicated to income inequality and the top 1. The british economist sir tony atkinson 19442017 was an authority in the field of poverty and inequality, inspiring communities of scholars. In this new book, the doyen of inequality economics in the uk, anthony atkinson whose many students have included piketty sets out what a real plan for reducing inequality would look like. Atkinson contributions to the economics of inequality. The economics of artificial intelligence is a terrific collection, edited by ajay agarwal, josh gans and avi goldfarb.
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