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Tackling inequality: strategies, priorities and effects – Panel Discussion

For the final event in our series, we’re bringing together a panel of experts to discuss approaches to tackling inequality. Each panellist will draw on their own research and experience to put forward a response to the question of how to tackle inequality and its effects, before we open up to a wider discussion, with questions from the audience.

Speakers:

* Professor Brian Nolan, Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Inequality and Prosperity (Chair)
* Professor Sir Paul Collier, Co-Director, Oxford Institute for Global Economic Development, Oxford Martin School and Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government
* Professor Sandy Fredman, Co-Director, Oxford Martin Programme on Human Rights for Future Generations
* Professor John Goldthorpe, Emeritus Fellow, Nuffield College
* Professor Simonetta Manfredi, Professor in Equality and Diversity Management and Director, Centre for Diversity Policy Research & Practice, Oxford Brookes University

“What influences intergenerational social mobility in Europe?” with Dr Marii Paskov and Dr Erzsébet Bukodi

To what extent is our social and economic position influenced by that of our parents, and how much can be shaped by factors such as education, labour markets, welfare and health policies?

Data from the European Social Survey (ESS), which has taken place biennially since 2002, is providing new insights for researchers trying to identify what influences social mobility, and enabling comparison between 32 European countries.

Dr Erzsébet Bukodi and Dr Marii Paskov will discuss their analysis of the ESS data and of the societal conditions for the cohorts being studied in their project, which seeks ultimately to explain why countries differ when it comes to social mobility.

“Urbanisation, migration and the future metropolis” with Professor Michael Keith

Mass migration to cities perpetuates urban-rural economic inequality, and can pose a heavy burden for material and social infrastructure. Professor Michael Keith, Co-Director of the Future of Cities programme, considers the practical demands of shaping the cities of the future, how cities can drive behavioural change, and how we could sequence the moral DNA of the new city to minimise future inequality.

“Inequality, poverty and global development” with Professor Stefan Dercon

Across the developing world, poverty has been decreasing, but unevenly, and inequality is increasingly identified as a serious burden on development. In recent years, leading economists have contributed to big picture views on what is behind development and poverty reduction: influential popular books have been produced by thinkers such as Amartya Sen, Bill Easterly, Paul Collier, Jeffrey Sachs, Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, Joseph Stiglitz, Angus Deaton and others.

In this lecture, Stefan Dercon will reflect on these contrasting views: how they view the causes of poverty, what to do about it and how inequality fits into these views. In particular, he will explore the role of inequality as a cause of poverty persistence, and how to overcome this. The implications for development thinking and policy will be discussed too.

“Skills, education and work in the digital age” with Dr Craig Holmes

Our rapidly changing technological landscape is having a massive impact on social and economic inequality. Dr Craig Holmes, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, considers how automation is changing the nature of innovation, employment and education, and how this in turn perpetuates inequality.

“Women’s health: a new global agenda” with Professor Robyn Norton

Global efforts to improve the health of women and girls have, in the past few decades, largely focused on reducing unacceptably high levels of maternal mortality and morbidity. In large part because of these successful efforts, the global burden of disease has changed significantly in recent years, such that the leading causes of death and disability for women in almost all countries in the world are now non-communicable diseases.

A global agenda for women’s health must, therefore, have a broadened, redefined focus to encompass not only women’s sexual and reproductive health, but also the leading causes of death and disability for women. In this talk Professor Robyn Norton, The George Institute for Global Health, will talk about what recommendations can be made and how they can be implemented.

This talk will be followed by a drinks reception, all welcome.

“Global inequality: a new approach for the age of globalization” with Professor Branko Milanovic

One of the world’s leading inequality economists, Professor Branko Milanovic, presents a bold new account of the dynamics that drive inequality on a global scale. Drawing on vast data sets and cutting-edge research, he explains the benign and malign forces that cause the rise and fall of inequality within and among nations. He also reveals who has been helped the most by globalisation, who has been held back, and what policies might tilt the balance toward economic justice.

Professor Branko Milanovic’s book, Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization, will be available to buy after the lecture.

“Inequality and its discontents” with Professor Brian Nolan

Inequality is centre-stage in political debate both globally and in individual countries, being blamed for everything from Brexit to stagnating wages and growth. Professor Brian Nolan, Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Inequality and Prosperity, will seek to tease out why this is so and identify central unanswered questions about the drivers of inequality, and what policy responses to it should be.