Income inequality is an increasingly pressing issue in the United States and around the world. This book explores five critical issues to introduce some of the key moral and empirical questions about income, gender, and racial inequality: Do we have a moral obligation to eliminate poverty? Is inequality a necessary evil that''s the best way available to motivate economic action and increase total output? Can we retain a meaningful democracy even when extreme inequality allows the rich to purchase political privilege? Is the recent stalling out of long-term declines in gender inequality a historic reversal that presages a new gender order? How are racial and ethnic inequalities likely to evolve as minority populations grow ever larger, as intermarriage increases, and as new forms of immigration unfold? Leading public intellectuals debate these questions in a no-holds-barred exploration of our New Gilded Age.

Introduction: Poverty and Inequality in a New World David B. Grusky Tamar Kricheli-Katz 1 Part I Do We Have an Obligation to Eliminate Poverty? Rich and Poor in the World Community Peter Singer 19 Global Needs and Special Relationships Richard W. Miller 39 Part II How Much Inequality Do We Need? (Some) Inequality Is Good for You Richard B. Freeman 63 Inequality and Economic Growth in Comparative Perspective Jonas Pontusson 88 Part III Is There a Political Solution to Rising Inequality? Rising Inequality and American Politics John Ferejohn 115 Unequal Democracy in America: The Long View Jeff Manza 131 Part IV Why is there a Gender Gap in Pay? A Human Capital Account of the Gender Pay Gap Solomon Polachek 161 The Sources of the Gender Pay Gap Francine D. Blau 189 Part V The Future of Race and Ethnicity A Dream Deferred: Toward the U.S. Racial Future Howard Winant 211 Racial and Ethnic Diversity and Public Policy Mary C. Waters 230 Notes 247 Index 287