Inequality and poverty: analysis and policy 2103-ERASMUS-IPAP
Economic inequality or inequality in income and wealth is a very hot and controversial topic discussed in many countries and international organizations. There are more dimensions for discussing and researching inequality than economic one. If some have power and the rest are powerless it is another important dimension for concern. Think now how income and wealth relations influence distribution of power and vice versa. Another dimension is a prestige or social respect. We have in our societies those who are mostly respected and those who are not valued at al. If you have wealth and power you could have social respect also or you could be respected very little. Poverty is a very important part of the inequality issue. We can focus our discussion and research on those who are economically poor, politically powerless or socially disrespected. If there were full equality in economic resources, power and prestige it would be difficult to see the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless or the respected and those disrespected. If substantial inequality exists we can focus on those people closer to one or the other extreme of the scale or somewhere in the middle. Many thinkers and researchers focused their endeavors on poverty issues in the rich and in the poor countries. Poverty was rediscovered in rich countries in sixties and seventies of the 20th century. For some commentators poverty or extreme poverty is more important or at least more urgent issue than inequality. It is not only an economic and political issue but also moral problem. What are the obligations of the rich to the poor, what rights the poor have? Economic, political, social and moral issues are the subjects for economics, political science, sociology, psychology, philosophy and ethics. Inequality and poverty are at the intersection of social sciences and philosophical inquiry. Economics has its positive and normative branch and the same is with many other social sciences. Positive side is more scientific and avoid engagement with practice. Normative side is looking for engagement and ready to answer the question: "what we should do about it". This is a second part of the course topic. Inequality and poverty were described and explained scientifically and simultaneously they were considered as social problems or policy issues searching for solutions.
Założenia (opisowo)
Koordynatorzy przedmiotu
Rodzaj przedmiotu
Tryb prowadzenia
Efekty kształcenia
1. Students understand main concepts and measurement procedures in the area of inequality and poverty.
2. Students understand main approaches to the redistributive and predistributive policy approach.
3. Students are interested in research on inequality and poverty from policy sciences perspective.
Kryteria oceniania
This is a lecture with power point presentations supported by web page http://rszarf.ips.uw.edu.pl/inequality/.
Course grading policy
Attendance: There will be an attendance list you should sign every class. If you miss two classes it has no consequences. If you miss more than two classes you should meet the lecturer on his duty hours next week and pass missed topic. If you miss more than 6 classes you fail the course.
Exam: test during summer examination session
Class participation: you are expected to read course readings before the class, asking questions and making comments during the class,
Other requirements: there will be online questionnaires and low-stake online tests during the course (low-stake means obligatory, but not graded)
Optional (non-obligatory) argumentative essay: proposal with topic related to the course content should be sent via e-mail to the lecturer for consultation, argumentative means: 1) formulate clear thesis and its description, 2) present arguments for and against it, 3) discuss and make final judgement which side is more persuasive, 4) summary of the argumentation (detailed guidelines will be available soon).
Grading: your final grade depends on the exam test result with class participation, other requirements and attendance results and on the grade for optional essay, if declared, delivered on time and in line with guidelines.
Praktyki zawodowe
none
Literatura
Topics with literature (links see: http://rszarf.ips.uw.edu.pl/inequality/)
• Introduction to the course
Reading: 9 issues from Social Inequality: Forms, Causes and Consequences by Charles E. Hurst and 9 issues from The Economics of Inequality, Discrimination, Poverty and Mobility by Robert S. Rycroft
Lecture presentation
• Why inequality and poverty are important? Philosophical reasons
Reading 1: Tim Scanlon's The 4 biggest reasons why inequality is bad for society
Reading 2: Didier Jacobs' Why extreme wealth is not merited
Lecture presentation
• Why inequality and poverty are important? Empirical reasons
Ted talk: How economic inequality harms societies Ted talk by Richard Wilkinson
Lecture presentation
• How to define inequality and poverty?
Reading 1: Metrics and Definitions from Income Inequality by Max Roser and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina
Reading 2: Setting national poverty lines around the world from A Measured Approach to Ending Poverty and Boosting Shared Prosperity: Concepts, Data, and the Twin Goals
Reading 3: Choosing an inequality index from Human Development Report 2019
Reading 4: Ilja Trapeznikova, Measuring income inequality, IZA, 2019
Lecture presentation
• How to to measure inequality and poverty?
Reading 1: Metrics and Definitions from Income Inequality by Max Roser and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina
Reading 2: Setting national poverty lines around the world from A Measured Approach to Ending Poverty and Boosting Shared Prosperity: Concepts, Data, and the Twin Goals
Reading 3: Choosing an inequality index from Human Development Report 2019
Reading 4: Ilja Trapeznikova, Measuring income inequality, IZA, 2019
Lecture presentation
• Inequality in data and charts: Great Gatsby Curve, Elephant Chart
Reading 1: Empirical View from Income Inequality by Max Roser and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina
Reading 2: Economic growth in the US: A tale of two countries by Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez, Gabriel Zucman
Lecture presentation
• Poverty in data and charts: global, regional, national and local
Reading 1: Extreme poverty around the world today from Global Extreme Poverty by Max Roser and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina
Lecture presentation
• How to explain inequality and poverty scale and trends? Part one
Reading 1: Kuznets Waves: A Definition excerpt from the book Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization by Branco Milanovic
Reading 2: Wht Drove the Downswing of the First Kuznets Wave? and What Is Driving the Second Kuznets Wave Up, and What Might Drive It Down? from Milanovic's book
Reading 3: Sources of income inequality in the economic literature from Theoretical Approaches to Inequality in Economics and Sociology. A Preliminary Assessment by Giovanni Guidetti, Boike Rehbein
Lecture presentation
• How to explain inequality and poverty scale and trends? Part two
Reading: Theoretical Approaches to Inequality in Economics and Sociology. A Preliminary Assessment by Giovanni Guidetti, Boike Rehbein 2014
Lecture presentation
• Redistribution as a anti-inequality and anti-poverty policy
Reading 1: Tim Smeeding on how to reduce income inequality
Reading 2: 10 Solutions to Fight Economic Inequality
• Why redistribution fails in emerging democracies?
Reading: Theory from Political Determinants of Income Inequality in Emerging Democracies by Takeshi Kawanaka, Yasushi Hazama
Lecture presentation
• Predistribution as a anti-inequality and anti-poverty policy
Reading 1: What’s wrong with predistribution by Lane Kenworthy
Reading 2: 10 Solutions to Fight Economic Inequality
Lecture presentation
• The social policy part of the welfare state
Reading 1:....
Lecture presentation
• The welfare state and its comprehensive sustainable development policy
Reading 1:....
Lecture presentation
• Summary and evaluation
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W cyklu 2023L:
Literature (links see: http://rszarf.ips.uw.edu.pl/inequality/) 2. How to define inequality and poverty and how to measure it? 3. Inequality and poverty empirics 4. How to explain inequality and poverty trends? (possibly two classes) 5. Redistribution or predistribution or both to mitigate inequality and poverty? 6. Why redistribution fails in emerging democracies? |
Uwagi
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W cyklu 2023L:
none |
Więcej informacji
Dodatkowe informacje (np. o kalendarzu rejestracji, prowadzących zajęcia, lokalizacji i terminach zajęć) mogą być dostępne w serwisie USOSweb: