Summary of content

This module examines the nature of economic inequality at a conceptual, theoretical and empirical level and provides an overview of the current state of international research on economic and social inequality and details the extent of economic inequalities in both a local and global context. It provides an overview of the analytical methods used in economics for the study of economic inequalities and examines the role of the state in the amelioration and/or perpetuation of these, both in principle and in practice. From both orthodox and heterodox perspectives it reviews key concepts within the discipline and traces the development of different schools of thought assessing the impact of the dominance of neo-classical economics and the emergence of feminist economics. Specifically, it considers topics such as the welfare state, public and social policy, care, poverty and income inequality, gender and alternative economic systems.

Module structure

Assessment methods