Equality - why it matters

There's a review of 'The Spirit Level' - the new book by Professor Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett in today's Morning Star.

As the review states, "The authors, who are both epidemiologists, produce a wealth of graphs based on official statistics to show that the more unequal countries are, the worse are their health and social problems.

"This is done by comparing the records of the richest 23 countries in the world on levels of trust, mental illness, life expectancy, infant mortality, obesity, children's educational performances, teenage births, homicides, imprisonment rates and social mobility.

"Britain, the US and Portugal are the most unequal countries with the worst health and social problems, while Japan and the Scandinavian countries, especially Sweden, are the most equal with the least problems."

Professor Wilkinson will be a panellist in the morning plenary session 'Who Pays?' of the LEAP Conference 'Capitalism Isn't Working' and hosting a lunchtime fringe presenting research from the book.

Research by LEAP, The Real Story of UK Inequality, published in October last year shows how inequality has continued to grow under New Labour.