Reducing Inequality: Addressing the Wicked Problems across Professions and Disciplines

Recognizing the lack of discussion of income inequality in most social work textbooks, Reducing Inequality: Addressing the Wicked Problems across Professions and Disciplines provides an overview of the potential impact of income inequality on the United States. It examines why the United States is the most unequal industrialized nation, and shares diverse curriculum and research on the topic. Reducing Inequality places inequality in an international context to demonstrate the very high level of inequality in the United States, and identifies specific problems linked to inequality. It provides historical context to explain the shift between relative equality and relative inequality from the colonial period to the present, and discusses specific ways inequality can be reduced. It identifies strategies for uplifting those impacted by income inequality, and teaches practical skills such as developing policy briefs. The book can easily be supplemented with readings that customize it to diverse courses. The content and approach make it appropriate for courses in social work, sociology, political science, and economics and sociology. The emphasis on practical skills also makes it a useful addition to classes in urban planning, public policy, and public health.