Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett
John de Graaf, moderator
Saturday, January 9, 2010
2-4 p.m.
UW Communication 126
Listen to or download the talk (20MB)
Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett will talk about their book, “The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger,” on Saturday, Jan 9 from 2pm to 4pm in CMU 126.
The evidence is overwhelming that more equal societies do better at almost everything we desire. Why do people in all the other rich nations and a few poor ones have longer, healthier lives? Why can so many other nations boast of more success in pursuing health and happiness, even though we account for half the world’s health care expenses and its largest GDP?
The authors will discuss these questions and John de Graaf will moderate. De Graaf is an internationally recognized documentary filmmaker and advocate for a better society through such projects as “Take Back Your Time,” “The Motherhood Manifesto,” and “What’s the Economy For, Anyway?”
The book is a best-seller in Europe and just released in the U.S. Some comments from reviewers:
“In half a page, The Spirit Level tells you more about the pain of inequality than any play or novel could.” —Sunday Times UK
“The evidence, here painstakingly marshaled, is hard to dispute.” —The Economist
“The argument is a powerful counter to any simple equation of social progress and the advance of GDP.” —Financial Times
“Inequality is at the root of all of society’s problems from violent crime to teenage pregnancy.” —The Guardian
More information on the book and ideas is at http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/
This event is sponsored by The Center for Communication and Civic Engagement.