The more inequality, the more geography matters G DeVerteuil Geography & Environment University of Southampton
Is the world becoming more unequal?
US inequality is on the rise
UK inequality is also on the rise, faster among workingage people than in any other rich nation since the mid- 1970s (OECD report) The average income for the top 10% in 2008 was just under 55,000, about 12 times higher than that of the bottom 10% ( 4,700) = ratio of 12 to 1, compared to 8 to 1 in 1985 The Top 1% and 0.1%
Health inequalities in London: http://life.mappinglondon.co.uk/
Many highly unequal nations have at least one of the following: -> oil-based economy -> slave legacy -> Communist legacy
Defining inequality Arithmetic inequality refers to a situation in which people are receiving unequal quantities of some attribute There is a sense that unequal outcomes are frequently unfair or unjust (moral dimension)
Measuring Inequality There is no single metric to capture all the intricacies of economic (income or wealth) inequality Gini index (0 to 100)
100 Cumulative % of income 80 60 40 Line of Perfect Equality (Gini = 0) High inequality 20 Moderate inequality 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 Cumulative % of population
Gini index, 2000 Gini index, 2006 High inequality 55+ Bolivia Brazil Chile Mexico South Africa Medium inequality 31 to 54 Argentina Armenia Australia Canada China New Zealand Poland Russia Thailand Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom United States Venezuela Bulgaria Mexico Poland Russia Low inequality Under 30 Belgium Bulgaria Denmark Finland F rance Germany Holland Norway Belgium F rance Germany Table 1.1: Selected nation-states from the World Income Inequality Database (http://www.wider.unu.edu), 2000 data (and 2006 data where available)
The more inequality, the more geography matters How space, place and scale are deeply implicated in the creation and sustaining of inequality
The more inequality, the more geography matters The causes of inequality can be linked to geography: -globalization -the place of good fortune: how place cumulates and perpetuates advantage and disadvantage
The more inequality, the more geography matters Why is this extreme inequality a problem? -greater crime and alienation -lack of social mobility -corrosion of democracy -urban unrest?
Urban unrest and rioting Defining urban unrest and rioting How urban unrest and rioting may be linked to inequality Case studies: Los Angeles 1992 Paris 2005 London 2011 Motivations/interpretations of London 2011
Urban unrest and rioting Definition: attempt at concealment, illegally assaulting at least one -no hiding of the action, although there may be of identity -any group can riot! (but some almost never do)
Urban unrest and rioting How is this linked to inequality?
Example 1: Los Angeles 1992
Example 1: Los Angeles 1992
Example 1: Los Angeles 1992 20 years after the 1992 unrest: http://www.latimes.com/videogallery/69638045/ News/Revisiting-the-wounds-Koreatown-20- years-after-the-l-a-riots http://framework.latimes.com/2012/04/27/phot ographer-recounts-covering-the-1992-losangeles-riots/
Example 2: Paris 2005
Example 2: Paris 2005
Example 3: London 2011 Motivations/interpretations of the London 2011 unrest: -> distrust of and antipathy towards the police
Example 3: London 2011 Motivations/interpretations of the London 2011 unrest: -
Example 3: London 2011 Motivations/interpretations of the London 2011 unrest: -> inequality, injustice, economic deprivation, lack of opportunities, boredom, government cutbacks
Example 3: London 2011 Motivations/interpretations of the London 2011 unrest: -> moral vacuum, greed
Example 3: London 2011 You decide!!
Geography & Environment at the University of Southampton http://www.southampton.ac.uk/geography