Influential book by York academics wins top award
Posted on 30 November 2011
The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better, by Professors Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson from the Department of Health Sciences, has won the ‘Publication of the Year Award’.
The prestigious national awards mark the achievements of politicians, academics and journalists during the last 12 months.
The Spirit Level has had a substantial influence on the British political agenda since its publication in March 2009. In the book, the authors argue that societies with more equal distribution of incomes have better health, fewer social problems such as violence, drug abuse, teenage births, mental illness and obesity, and are more cohesive than ones in which the gap between the rich and poor is greater.
Helena Djurkovic, Chief Executive Officer of the Political Studies Association, said: “The Spirit Level was the unanimous choice of our judges. This book was the standout political publication of the year, and the award recognises the importance the book played in defining the political zeitgeist, even at a time of economic crisis.”
Professors Pickett and Wilkinson were presented with the award at the Political Studies Association annual awards dinner at Church House, Westminster on 29 November. The compère for event was Jon Snow from Channel 4 News. The awards will be broadcast on BBC Parliament on Saturday, 3 December at 9pm.
To some extent, what we hoped for when we wrote The Spirit Level has happened. There is now a much greater awareness of the effects of inequality among the public, policy makers and politicians
Professor Kate Pickett
Based on data from 30 years of research, The Spirit Level makes detailed comparisons of more and less equal societies, revealing a consistent correlation between inequality and other societal problems. Professors Pickett and Wilkinson compared societies with the most inequality – Portugal, United States and the UK – with those where the gap between rich and poor is smallest – Japan and Sweden. They also compared the more and less equal American states and found the same pattern.
They conclude that the impact of inequality is not only felt by the poorest in society, but it affects the better-off too. Even wealthier people in unequal societies are more likely to suffer from mental illnesses, work long hours, get into debt and die younger than their counterparts elsewhere. Their conclusion is that to tackle societal problems, it is first necessary to focus on economic inequality.
Kate Pickett, a Professor of Epidemiology in York’s Department of Health Sciences, said: “We are delighted to win such a prestigious national award for our work. To some extent, what we hoped for when we wrote The Spirit Level has happened. There is now a much greater awareness of the effects of inequality among the public, policy makers and politicians. There is more debate and more of an appetite for change.
“Sadly, however, debate has not yet been translated into action. Austerity measures introduced in the wake of the global financial crisis hit hardest those who least deserve them and regulation is resisted by those who have the most vested interests in maintaining their undeserved wealth.”
Earlier awards for The Spirit Level include the Bristol Festival of Ideas award. Together with Professor Wilkinson, Professor Pickett’s work was also shortlisted for Research Project of the Year in the 2009 Times Higher Education Awards.
Notes to editors:
- For more information on the University of York’s Department of Health Sciences visit www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences
- For more information on the Political Studies Association Awards visit www.psa.ac.uk
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