Extreme inequalities in income,wealth and power lie behind Thailand’s political turmoil. What are the sources of this inequality? Why does it persist, or even increase when the economy grows? How can it be addressed? The contributors to this important study—Thai scholars, reformers and civil servants—shed light on the many dimensions of inequality in Thailand, looking beyond simple income measures to consider land ownership, education, finance, business structures and politics. The contributors propose a series of reforms in taxation, spending and institutional reform that can address growing inequality. Inequality is among the biggest threats to social stability in Southeast Asia, and this close study of a key Southeast Asian country will be relevant to regional policy-makers, economists and business decision-makers, as well as students of oligarchy and inequality more generally.

The Lisu people, whose lives have been recorded in this publication, are predominantly women of a mountain community in northern Thailand. Along with their men, they have been growing poppies for opium for over a century, the sales of which have been sustained their non-authoritarian society and its implied repute ideology. While living with them for several years, the author observed how newly introduced substitute crops involving a change in production and trade relations had upset the previously egalitarian basis of female and male worth, as exemplified in the metaphor of elephant and dog. The modified gender system in which the Lisu female has become an underdog is described against the backdrop of conventional ideas regarding the cosmic forces, the division of labour, bridewealth and marriage.

The Lisu people, whose lives have been recorded in this publication, are predominantly women of a mountain community in northern Thailand. Along with their men, they have been growing poppies for opium for over a century, the sales of which have been sustained their non-authoritarian society and its implied repute ideology. While living with them for several years, the author observed how newly introduced substitute crops involving a change in production and trade relations had upset the previously egalitarian basis of female and male worth, as exemplified in the metaphor of elephant and dog. The modified gender system in which the Lisu female has become an underdog is described against the backdrop of conventional ideas regarding the cosmic forces, the division of labour, bridewealth and marriage.

A rapidly growing area of economic research investigates the top of the income distribution using data from income tax records. This volume brings together studies of top incomes for twelve countries from around the world, including China, India, Japan, Argentina and Indonesia. Together with the first volume, published in 2007, the studies cover twenty two countries. They have a long time span, the earliest data relating to 1875 (for Norway), allowing recent developments to be placed in historical perspective. The volume describes in detail the source data and the methods employed. It will be an invaluable reference source for researchers in the field. Individual country chapters deal with the specific nature of the data for each of the countries, and describe the long-term evolution of top income shares. In the countries as a whole, dramatic changes have taken place at the top of the income distribution. Over the first part of the century, top income shares fell markedly. This largely took the form of a reduction in capital incomes. The different authors examine the impact of the First and Second World Wars, contrasting countries that were and were not engaged. They consider the impact of depressions and banking crises, and pay particular attention to the impact of progressive taxation. In the last 30 years, the shares of top incomes have increased markedly in the US and other Anglo-Saxon countries, reflecting the increased dispersion of earnings. The volume includes statistics on the much-discussed top pay and bonuses, providing a global perspective that discusses important differences between countries such as the lesser increase in Continental Europe. This book, together with volume 1, documents this interesting development and explores the underlying causes. The findings are brought together in a final summary chapter by Atkinson, Piketty and Saez.

This volume explores the causes and consequences of family inequality in the United States, Europe, and Latin America.

"Raquel Sosa Elízaga has assembled an incredibly complete set of analyses of inequality written by a range of scholars about a wide range of issues. Incomparable essential reading." - Immanuel Wallerstein, Senior Research Scientist, Sociology, Yale University Over recent decades, living conditions in poorer countries have deteriorated, leaving us faced with the present phenomenon of global inequality. Arguably the biggest challenge of the 21st Century is the confrontation and eventual elimination of the processes of structural inequality that affect these millions of human beings today. Facing an Unequal World tackles and critically examines key issues and challenges for global sociology across these interrelated themes: The dimensions of inequality and the configurations of structural inequalities and structures of power Conceptions of justice in different historical and cultural traditions Conflicts on environmental justice and sustainable futures The social injuries of inequality, and overcoming inequalities Written by a selection of international key sociologists and academics, this is a valuable resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and researchers in sociology alike.