IAS 194
The Problem of Inequality (And
How to Solve It)
Professor Patrick Iber
Fall 2014 / W 2-4 / 125 Dwinelle
Office Hours: Stephens 140; W 10-12 and by appointment on
Monday or Friday
Inequality has come to be seen as the defining political
problem of our time. Some protesters with Occupy Wall Street, for example,
marched with signs showing the growing income share of the very wealthy. But
what kinds of inequality really matter? What problems does it cause? Should
inequality between nations concern us more or less than inequality within them?
And how is inequality today different from inequality of previous decades or
centuries? This course will draw on a growing literature to try and understand
these problems. We will study the origins of global economic inequality,
political movements that attempted to challenge and reduce inequality, and the
effects of inequality on democracy in the United States today. Readings will
include important books from Branko Milanovic and Timothy Noah, as well as
classics such as Karl Polanyi’s The Great
Transformation and the book of the hour, Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-first Century.
Course texts:
Branko Milanovic, The
Haves and the Have Nots, Basic Books, 0465031412, 978-0465031412,
paperback, 2012, $13.49.
Timothy Noah, The
Great Divergence, Bloomsbury, 1608196356, 978-1608196357, paperback, 2013, $10.10.
Adam Hochschild, Bury
the Chains, Mariner, 0618619070, 978-0618619078, paperback, 2006, $13.29.
Aravind Adiga, The
White Tiger, Free Press, 1416562605, 978-1416562603, paperback, 2008, $9.04.
Week 1, September 3: What
is inequality and why does it matter? I
Introduction to the class.
Time permitting, we will watch selections from Robert Reich’s film, Inequality for All
Week 2, September 10: What
is inequality and why does it matter? II
Elizabeth S. Anderson,
“What is the point of equality?” Ethics
109, no. 2 (January 1999): 287-337.
Martin Gilens, “Inequality
and Democratic Responsiveness,” Public
Opinion Quarterly 69, no. 5 (special issue 2005): 778-796.
Watch: Richard Wilkinson,
“How economic inequality harms societies,” http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson
Week 3, September 17: What
is inequality and why does it matter? III
Milanovic, The Haves and the Have Nots, 3-52,
83-215
Week 4, September 24: Historical
Origins of Inequality I
Heather Pringle, “The
Ancient Roots of the 1%,” Science 344,
no. 6186 (23 May 2014): 822-825.
David S. Landes, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations,
Chapters 13-15, pp. 186-230
Kenneth Pomeranz,
“Political Economy and Ecology on the Eve of Industrialization: Europe, China,
and the Global Conjuncture,” American
Historical Review 107, no. 2 (April 2002): 425-446.
Recommended reading: Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, “What is property?,”
Chapter 1 http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/economics/proudhon/property/ch01.htm
Week 5, October 1: Historical
Origins of Inequality II
Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation [available
through oskicat as an eBook], xviii-xxxviii, 71-140, 257-268
Frederick Engels, The Condition of the Working Class in
England, selections from Marx-Engels reader, ed. Robert Tucker, pp. 579-585
Margaret Somers and Fred
Block, “The Return of Karl Polanyi,” Dissent,
Spring 2014, http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-return-of-karl-polanyi
Week 6, October 8: Historical
Origins of Inequality III: Evidence from Latin America
Kenneth L. Sokoloff and
Stanley L. Engerman, “History Lessons: Institutions, Factor Endowments, and
Paths of Development in the New World,” Journal
of Economic Perspectives 14, no. 3 (Summer 2000): 217-232.
Daron Acemoglu et al.,
“Reversal of Fortune: Geography and Institutions in the Making of the Modern
World Income Distribution,” MIT Working Paper 01-38, August 2001.
Roberto DaMatta, “Do you
know who you’re talking to?”, in Carnivals,
Rogues and Heroes, 137-197
In-class workshop on calculating inequality
Week 7, October 15: Redressing
Inequalities I: Anti-slavery campaigns
Calculating inequality problem set due in class. Adam Hochschild’s book
is gripping but also long—so get started this week, even though we won’t
discuss it until October 29.
Film in class: Burn
Week 8, October 22: Redressing
Inequalities II: The Rights of Women
Amy Dru Stanley, “Conjugal
Bonds and Wage Labor: Rights of Contract in the Age of Emancipation,” Journal of American History 75, no. 2
(September 1988): 471-500.
Christine Stansell, The Feminist Promise: 1792 to the Present
Brothers and
Sisters, Women’s Rights and the Abolition of Slavery, 27-50
Modern Times, Political Revival and Winning the Vote,
147-176
Keep on going with
Hochschild, Bury the Chains in the
background, though it won’t be the primary book under discussion until next
week. It may come up in relation to this week’s other readings.
Week 9, October 29: Redressing
Inequalities III: Anti-slavery campaigns
Adam Hochschild, Bury the Chains [entire book]
Adam Hochschild will join us for a discussion of his book.
Week 10, November 5: Redressing
Inequalities IV: Communism
André Gide, Return from the USSR, 3-62
Milovan Djilas, The New Class, pp. 37-69
Medea Benjamin, Joseph
Collins, and Michael Scott, “How the Poor Got More,” from The Cuba Reader, pp. 344-353
Milanovic, The Haves and the Have-nots, “Was
Socialism Egalitarian?” 53-60
Week 11, November 12: Redressing
Inequalities V: Social Democracy
Mark Mazower, Dark Continent, “Democracy Transformed:
Western Europe, 1950-75,” pp. 286-326
Tony Judt, Ill Fares the Land, “The World we have
Lost,” 41-80
Gøsta Esping-Andersen, Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, 1-34
One- or two-paragraph description of what you plan to do for your final
is due.
Week 12, November 19: The
Present and Future of Inequality I
Noah, The Great Divergence
Week 13, November 26: The
Present and Future of Inequality II
Mara Hvistendahl, “While
emerging economies boom, equality goes bust,” Science 344, no. 6186 (23 May 2014): 832-835.
Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger
Week 14, December 3: The
Present and Future of Inequality III
These two reviews will help orient you to the conversation about
Piketty:
Kathleen Geier, “Taking on
the Heiristocracy,” http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_may_2014/on_political_books/taking_on_the_heiristocracy049299.php?page=all
Mike Konczal, “Studying
the Rich: Thomas Piketty and his Critics,” http://www.bostonreview.net/books-ideas/mike-konczal-thomas-piketty-capital-studying-rich
This short article summarizes some of the points made at greater length
in Piketty’s book
Thomas Piketty and
Emmanuel Saez, “Inequality in the long run,” Science 344, no. 6186 (23 May 2014): 838-843, http://www.sciencemag.org/content/344/6186/838.full
And, most importantly, “Piketty” itself:
Piketty, Capital in the Twenty-first Century,
430-539, 571-577
Grading:
30% participation: I will reward participation that is
curious, engaged, and constructive.
5%: problem set on calculating inequality.
20% short responses: Four times throughout the semester, prepare
a short response to the week’s readings, of 300-500 words. These responses
should not summarize the readings (though you may find it necessary to restate
the argument), but should expand on what you have read by raising doubts,
analyzing evidence, connecting to your experiences, or making connections to
another week’s reading or work from other courses. If you need to miss a week
of class, you must turn in a short response for the missed week after you
return.
5%: brief, one- or two-paragraph description of what you
will do for your final. Due November 12th. Describe what you plan to
do, what question or questions you hope to answer, and what sources you think
you will use.
40% final project: 12-15 page paper, or online equivalent if
you choose to build a web site. There are multiple options for a final project:
1)
A public policy analysis. Piketty, for example, argues
for a global tax on capital. But what policy, or set of policies, do you think
should be changed? Make a proposal and describe its intended consequences, the
institutions that would have to be changed in order to realize it, the
political coalition that would fight for it, and the impact it would have on
inequality. Successful papers will find and use data.
2)
A historical paper that looks back at some aspects of
inequality or a movement that sought to change it.
3)
Data analysis of trends in inequality. You might draw from
the World Top Incomes Database and/or World Bank data to examine trends in one
or more countries. For example: can you find a country or countries where Gini
coefficients dropping but the top 1% taking an even greater share of income in
recent years? What policies and conjunctures explain these trends?
4)
Some other project related to the topic of the course
that will educate you and the broader public about an important aspect of
inequality. If you have another project in mind, just clear it with me!
