I
s
g
r
o
w
i
n
g
i
n
e
q
u
a
l
i
t
y
a
p
r
o
b
l
e
m
f
o
r
i
n
t
e
r
n
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
d
e
v
e
l
o
p
m
e
n
t
,
w
h
a
t
i
s
d
r
i
v
i
n
g
i
t
a
n
d
w
h
a
t
c
a
n
b
e
d
o
n
e
a
b
o
u
t
i
t
?

Register to attend

K
e
y
i
n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Date
Time
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
Venue
SOAS, University of London
Room
B103
Event type
Seminar

A
b
o
u
t
t
h
i
s
e
v
e
n
t

The world is becoming increasingly unequal. In the last four years the world’s five richest men have more than doubled their fortunes from £321 billion to £688 billion, while the wealth of the poorest 60 per cent - almost five billion people - has fallen. 

The world’s richest 1% now own 43 per cent of all global financial assets and the most recent Gini index found that global income inequality is now comparable with that of South Africa, the country with the highest inequality in the world.

But does this matter? Some economists have argued that growing inequality is a necessary stage that countries must go through on the road to economic development. Others have argued that, whatever the stage of economic development, high inequality is essential for giving incentives to wealth creators – and if inequality is growing, it must be because it is functional to the economy. Yet others have argued that high (and especially increasing) inequality can hinder economic growth, undermine social cohesion and contribute to political instability. 

This DLD Conversation will explore what is driving these growing levels of inequality, how this impacts countries’ development prospects and what national and international policies could help to challenge this trend.

Speakers:

  • Faiza Shaheen
  • Max Lawson
  • Ha-Joon Chang (Chair)

Header image credit: Julia Taubitz via Unsplash.

A
b
o
u
t
t
h
e
S
p
e
a
k
e
r
s

  • Faiza Shaheen is a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute (LSE). She is an economist, writer, political commentator and activist. She is the author of a range of materials covering the most salient social and economic debates of our times, including inequality, austerity, immigration, and social mobility. Her book, ‘Know your place: How society sets us up to fail and what we can do about it’ was released in July 2023 on Simon & Schuster. 
  • Max Lawson is Head of Inequality Policy at Oxfam International.  He is a regular author of Oxfam's most high-profile products for media and advocacy, including Oxfam's annual inequality report for the World Economic Forum in Davos.  He is co-host of the EQUALS podcast and writes regularly for their Substack. 
  • Ha-Joon Chang (Chair) is a Research Professor at SOAS University of London and Co-Director of Development Leadership Dialogue (DLD). He has worked on a wide range of issues related to economic development, especially trade and industrial policies, productive capabilities development, institutions and development, global economic system, the history of economic development in today’s rich countries, and the political economy of development. In addition to numerous journal articles and book chapters, he has published 17 authored books (five co-authored) and 11 edited books (seven co-edited). His writings have been translated and published in 45 languages and 46 countries. 

Share this page

R
e
l
a
t
e
d
e
v
e
n
t
s