Beyond The Spirit Level: The Breadth and Depth of New Research on Inequality

"In 2009, we showed that economic inequality is related to a wide range of health and social problems, and that the impact of inequality is felt across the income distribution. Our work had wide impact but received some criticism related to the causal nature of the relationships we had shown, as well as the validity of those associations. In this seminar, I will discuss the development of research in this field ‒ with particular attention to causal pathways and new interconnections between income distribution, environmental issues and international development."

Kate Pickett is Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York.

She was a UK NIHR Career Scientist from 2007-2012 and is a Fellow of the RSA and of the UK Faculty of Public Health. She is co-author with Richard Wilkinson, of the bestselling The Spirit Level, winner of the 2012 Publication of the Year from the Political Studies Association and translated into 23 languages. Kate and Richard are recipients of a 2013 SOLIDAR Silver Rose Award for social justice.

Kate is a co-founder of The Equality Trust. She served on the expert panel of the High Pay Commission, was a Commissioner for the York Fairness Commission and is now a Commissioner for the Living Wage Commission. She is a member of the Campaign for Childhood Committee of The Children’s Society, a member of the International Expert Working Group for a New Development Paradigm, sits on the Scientific Council of Inequality Watch, the Scientific Board of Progressive Economy, and is a member of the Human Capital Research Working Group of the Institute for New Economic Thinking.