ABSTRACT

In the years following the financial crash, two issues have become central to the debate in economics: inequality and the uneven nature of sustainable development. These two issues are at the core of this book which aims to explain three key questions: why inequality has increased so much in the last three decades; why most advanced economies are stagnating or are experiencing moderate economic growth; and why, even where economic growth is occurring, the quality of that growth is questioned.

Inequality and Uneven Development in the Post-Crisis World is divided into three parts. The first part concerns the theoretical aspects of inequality, and ethical issues regarding economics and equality. The second part explores empirical evidence and policy suggestions drawing on the uneven levels of development and unprecedented levels of inequality experienced among advanced economies in the context of global financial capitalism. The third part focuses on sustainable development issues such as full employment, social costs of global trade liberalization, environmental sustainability and ecological issues. Along with inequality these issues are central for capitalism and for economic development.

This volume is of interest to those who study political economy, sustainable development and social inequality.

chapter |5 pages

Introduction

part I|97 pages

Ethics, pluralism and theoretical approaches

chapter 3|18 pages

Unsustainable unemployment and sustainable growth

A long-run perspective

chapter 4|15 pages

Shifting the social costs of trade

Non-tariff measures as the new focus of trade policy

chapter 5|15 pages

Inequity and unsustainability

The role of financialized masculinity 1

part II|86 pages

Empirical evidences of inequality

chapter 6|20 pages

Intergenerational inequality

Transmission channels, direct and indirect mechanisms and evidence for European countries

chapter 7|18 pages

Financialised capitalism and inequality

Shareholder-value-driven firms, marketised household balance sheets and bubbly financial markets

chapter 8|22 pages

Regional inequalities and foreign direct investments

The case of Hungary

chapter 9|24 pages

Financialization and inequalities

The uneven development of the housing market on the eastern periphery of Europe

part III|64 pages

Sustainable development issues

chapter 10|20 pages

The triple crisis

How can Europe foster growth, well-being and sustainability? 1

chapter 11|30 pages

The challenge of hydropower as a sustainable development alternative

Benefits and controversial effects in the case of the Brazilian Amazon

chapter 12|13 pages

Careful with that switch!

Willingness to save energy and income distribution