MACMILLAN Equality: Multidisciplinary Perspectives

‘Equality’ as an ideal has a long history, and while some progress has obviously been made, the persistence of certain inequalities is remarkable. In order to draw a detailed picture of equality’s nature, value, relevance, and scope, this book provides a multidisciplinary analysis. Using a classic three part framework, the book looks at the macro level (broader systemic, historical, conceptual, societal and European level), the meso level (concrete social institutions such as the labour market and the welfare state) and the micro level of the individuals and their relations and thoughts about equality (psychological reactions, cultural depictions and sociological analyses). The chapters not only provide an overview of the state of equality, but also identify promising areas of future research, and will be of interest to students and scholars across a number of fields including European studies, history, law, political philosophy, psychology, sociology and economics. Review "This ambitious collection provides a comprehensive introduction into historical and contemporary debates about equality. It examines the economic and cultural faces of inequality from a broad range of disciplines, including philosophy, sociology and psychology. Readers will learn a lot about current academic controversies regarding a defining theme of our time." ― Rainer Bauböck, European University Institute, Italy  "This multidisciplinary introduction uniquely highlights the complexities of inequality, at conceptual, institutional and experiential levels, through the lenses of the pertinent normative and empirical disciplines. An important academic contribution!" ― Anna Baumert, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Germany "As the global pandemic has shaken profoundly our lives, it has painfully exposed the many inequalities that characterize modern societies in Europe and elsewhere, despite advanced welfare systems and deep political commitments to equality. This book is a timely and critical companion supporting our reflection on (in)equality, the dilemmas that we have to face and how we can go about providing answers at the moral, political and policy level." ― Anna Triandafyllidou, Ryerson University, Canada From the Back Cover "This ambitious collection provides a comprehensive introduction into historical and contemporary debates about equality. It examines the economic and cultural faces of inequality from a broad range of disciplines, including philosophy, sociology and psychology. Readers will learn a lot about current academic controversies regarding a defining theme of our time." ― Rainer Bauböck, European University Institute, Italy  "This multidisciplinary introduction uniquely highlights the complexities of inequality, at conceptual, institutional and experiential levels, through the lenses of the pertinent normative and empirical disciplines. An important academic contribution!" ― Anna Baumert, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Germany "This book is a timely and critical companion supporting our reflection on (in)equality, the dilemmas that we have to face and how we can go about providing answers at the moral, political and policy level." ― Anna Triandafyllidou, Ryerson University, Canada ‘Equality’ as an ideal has a long history, and while some progress has obviously been made, the persistence of certain inequalities is remarkable. In order to draw a detailed picture of equality’s nature, value, relevance, and scope, this book provides a multidisciplinary analysis. Using a classic three part framework, the book looks at the  macro level (broader systemic, historical, conceptual, societal and European level), the meso level (concrete social institutions such as the labour market and the welfare state) and the micro level of the individuals and their relations and thoughts about equality (psychological reactions, cultural depictions and sociologi