Regimes of Inequality: the political economy of health and wealth

Contributor(s): Professor Julia Lynch | Inequality has become an intractable feature of the rich industrialised democracies, despite consensus among mass publics and experts that more social and economic equality is desirable. In this lecture, Julia Lynch will examine the political dynamics underlying the “new normal” of high and rising inequality since 1980.
To do so, she'll trace the largely unsuccessful attempts of west European governments during this period to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health and argue that inequality persists despite growing awareness of the harms it creates because of the way political leaders choose to talk about it — and not only because of economic necessity or demands from the electorate.
Meet our speaker and chair
Julia Lynch is Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on the politics of inequality, public health, and social policy in the rich democracies, particularly the countries of western Europe.