This year’s World Economic Forum in Davos honored musician and philanthropist Elton John for his contributions to upholding ‘human dignity.’
AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
The global elites are paying attention.
Many Americans would be appalled to think that caste might exist in the supposedly meritocratic U.S. But is the country’s persistent, entrenched inequality really so different?
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
An Indian scholar makes the case that caste explains inequality in America better than race and class.
Tribally led wellness encampment in Wyoming.
Gordon Belcourt
Compared to the average US citizen, American Indians and Alaskan Natives live shorter lives and are at greater risk for a number of health problems.
The fight for free university education in South Africa is entering its fourth year.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
In many respects, President Jacob Zuma’s free higher education proposal in South Africa is the worst kind of populism.
Jeff Bezos is now the richest person in the world.
Reed Saxon/AP Photo
There are about 2,000 billionaires in the world, controlling over $7.6 trillion. How does that compare to the income of an average American?
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A history of inequality and division in society has reinforced a sense of separation – and it has benefited the far right.
Shoppers browsing vegetables at a farmers market.
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Why are people from some states so much healthier than others? Despite what you may hear, it’s not just about genetics or poor choices.
Welcome, Mr Hinds.
Damian Hinds/Facebook
The new education secretary, Damian Hinds, has his work cut out, so here’s what he needs to do.
French President Emmanuel Macron (right) talks to European Parliament, president Antonio Tajani (left) and Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel (center), during the Gothenburg summit on November 17, 2017.
Ludovic Marin/AFP
The final report of the EU’s summit in Sweden makes generous use of the adjective “fair”. With populism and xenophobia are on the rise, could this be the basis of a new narrative for Europe?
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Developing country governments need to give attention to the risks associated with new technologies and develop context-specific responses.
At least one economist worries we’ll be mostly poorer.
AP Photo/Go Nakamura
We asked four of our regular economics writers to examine a key theme they expect to flare up in 2018 and why.
EPA
Iran’s main opposition is loath to embrace a new wave of protesters. It may soon have no choice.
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There is enormous pressure on young people to strive, perform and achieve. And the data indicate that many are struggling to cope.
Social researcher Hugh Mackay and The Conversation’s FactCheck Editor Lucinda Beaman.
Author and social researcher Hugh Mackay says fragmentation was among the key themes of 2017 – but he has some concrete suggestions on how we can do better in 2018.
There are signs that non-rich Americans are growing less tolerant of tax cuts that mainly boost the wealthy’s bottom line.
Reuters//Eduardo Munoz
Historically, wishful thinking has blunted pushback.
There is a glaring need to reform Australia’s archaic wealth inequality statistics to make them commensurate with international practice.
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The squeeze on wealth in the middle class by those at the top is a long established trend in international inequality data. But the ABS doesn’t provide this information.
Studies of twins let us see the contributions that genes, upbringing and culture make to behaviour.
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Evolution has shaped gender differences, but we don’t have to be bound to this history. We are not mindless automata, doomed to slavishly oblige our instincts and impulses.
EPA/Sebastian Castaneda
In order to tackle inequality, we need to understand what drives resistance to it and government responsiveness.
The gap between rich and poor is growing.
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Discussions around inequality have lacked hard data – until now. A new report shows inequality levels around the globe.
Only 5 percent of agricultural workers in Mexico are white, while almost 30 percent of white-collar workers are. That’s just one stat confirming that, yes, racism exists in Mexico, too.
Carlos Jasso/Reuters
Mexico may celebrate its mixed-race heritage, but a new study shows that racism is powerful there. Darker-skinned Mexicans earn less and finish fewer years of schooling than white citizens.