Summary of content

This module examines the nature of economic inequality at a conceptual, theoretical and empirical level. It presents an overview and evaluation of the current state of international research on economic 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 a political economy perspective, 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 the role of economics in relation to issues such as the welfare state, public and social policy, poverty and income inequality, dimensions of inequality including health and socio-economic status, globalisation and North South relations. The rationale for state involvement in the economy is explored, distinguishing between equity and efficiency reasons, and the extent to which such objectives are met and the conflicts between them are examined.

Module structure

Assessment methods