Income Inequality Resources
Income Inequality Resources
Documentaries, Videos and PowerPoints
Wealth Inequality in America video This is a six minute video from 2012. It features infographics on the distribution of wealth in America, highlighting both the inequality and the difference between our perception of inequality and the actual numbers. The reality is often not what we think it is. (See the graphic above.)
Bill Moyers spotlight on Economic Inequality A variety of pieces including Paul Krugman on Living in Ugly Times and Robert Reich’s Four Big Conservative Lies About Inequality
Poor America – 2012 documentary (30 minutes) produced by BBC Panorama
David Simon – Some People are More Equal than Others – Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2013 ( 1 hour 20 minutes). . . There are two Americas. In one, bankers get golden parachutes, insider traders return to society as well-paid consultants, and influence is for sale. In the other, opportunity is scarce and forgiveness scarcer, jail awaits those caught possessing recreational drugs, and cries for help are ignored. Society preaches forgiveness for the rich and retribution for the poor. Entrenched inequality and its companion, poverty, are the dark side of the American dream for a citizenry united by name, but not by rules.
Documentary: “Inequality for All” 2013. (88 minutes) Discussing numerous issues in clear and accessible language, former U.S. labor secretary and current UC Berkeley professor Robert Reich makes a compelling case about the serious crisis the U.S. faces due to the widening economic gap. UUSJ is requesting hosts to engage our congregations in watch parties and discussions of this film and what we can do about income inequality. A copy of this film is available for loan from UUSJ.
Inequality and It’s Political Corruption Roots – February 2012 Terry Streichen, a Youtube of UUSJ video presentation from the 99 percenters at the UU Congregation of Fairfax (12 minutes 21 seconds)
Teach-In Income Inequality January 2012 UUSJ PowerPoint presentation made by the 99 percenters at the UU Congregation of Fairfax
“More Videos” with this link to http://inequality.org/t/video/
OpEd Articles and Other Resources
How to Shrink Inequality May 2014 Robert Reich in The Nation
Wikipedia has an excellent article on Income Inequality in the US containing both sides of the wealth divide argument, and lots of links to articles. Presents the history, measurements, income levels, causes, the significance of the problem, charts on income at a glance, public attitudes, the decline in unions, change in income calculation, immigration, globalization, race and gender, and by state comparisons, and more.
The Scope and Depth of Inequality November 2011 from the 99 Percenters at the UU Congregation of Fairfax
Books
Unequal Democracy 2009 by Larry Bartels – Using a vast swath of data spanning the past six decades, Unequal Democracy debunks many myths about politics in contemporary America, using the widening gap between the rich and the poor to shed disturbing light on the workings of American democracy. Larry Bartels shows the gap between the rich and poor has increased greatly under Republican administrations and decreased slightly under Democrats, leaving America grossly unequal. This is not simply the result of economic forces, but the product of broad-reaching policy choices in a political system dominated by partisan ideologies and the interests of the wealthy.
Inequality Kills 2014 by Stephen Bezruchka
The Seventeen Solutions 2012 by Ralph Nader
99 to 1 2012 by Chuck Collins of the IPS Program on Inequality and the Common Good, and a UU. Argues wealth inequality is wrecking the world and presents what we can do about it.
“Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer—and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class” 2010 by political scientists Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson argue that contrary to conventional wisdom, the dramatic increase in inequality of income in the United States since 1978 is not the natural/inevitable result of increased competition from globalization, but of the work of political forces
‘Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future” 2010 by Robert Reich. Reich explains how America’s widening inequality had contributed to the great recession and made it difficult for the economy to recover, by undermining the purchasing power of the middle class relative to the nation’s productive capacity.
“Beyond Outrage” 2012 by Robert Reich. Reich focused on why an increasing portion of the public felt the game was rigged in favor of those with wealth and power, why the “regressive right” was nonetheless able to persuade many that taxes should be lowered even further on corporations and the wealthy while many public services should be cut, and what average people could do to take back the economy and reclaim democracy.
Organizations
Interfaith Organizations
Faithful Budget Campaign . . . A collaboration of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other faith communities and organizations, The Faithful Budget promotes comprehensive and compassionate budget principles that will “protect the common good, values each individual and his or her livelihood, and helps lift the burden on the poor, rather than increasing it while shielding the wealthiest from any additional sacrifice.” It promotes principles that will “protect the common good, values each individual and his or her livelihood, and helps lift the burden on the poor, rather than increasing it while shielding the wealthiest from any additional sacrifice.” The Faithful Budget lays out ideas for restoring economic opportunity, ensuring adequate resources for the country’s fiscal needs, fostering true security, reducing poverty and hardship, taking responsibility for future generations, caring for the environment, improving access to health care and recognizing the robust role of government in combating poverty.
Organizing Projects
- New Economy Working Group An informal think tank-media-business network alliance working to distribute and root economic power in people and communities, support the cooperative sharing of resources, and give priority to building the community wealth essential to the health and well-being of all.
- Other 98 Percent A grassroots network of concerned citizens fed up with the status quo in Washington that’s seeking practical solutions to help Americans stand against the bankers, CEOs, and lobbyists who’ve hijacked our democracy to serve themselves at the expense of everyone else.
- US UNCUT A national grassroots movement drawing attention through direct action to unnecessary state and federal budget cuts in light of billions of dollars in unpaid taxes by corporate tax dodgers.
- Common Security Club A network of locally based groups, situated in communities and congregations, that help participants learn more about today’s economic and ecological challenges, undertake mutual aid and shared action, and become part of a larger effort to create a fair and healthy economy that works for everyone.
- Mind the Gap. An educational effort, sponsored by NETWORK, the national Catholic social justice lobby, that aims to help build understanding “about the causes and consequences of this huge wealth gap.”
Advocacy Groups
- Wealth for Common Good A network of business leaders and high-income Americans working together to promote shared prosperity and fair taxation, with members who range from entrepreneurs and doctors to elected officials of all backgrounds and political stripes.
- Business for Shared Prosperity Business owners, executives, and investors who support public policies and business practices that expand economic opportunity, reduce inequality, promote innovation, and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure for long-term success.
- United for a Fair Economy A national group working to raise awareness about how concentrated wealth and power undermine the economy, corrupt democracy, deepen the racial divide, and tear communities apart.
- On the Commons. A national network working to protect the commons and our commonwealth in ways that promote equity and sustainability.
- Chesapeake Sustainable Business Council The Chesapeake Sustainable Business Council is a business-led educational and advocacy organization whose mission is to promote sustainable business viability, awareness, and impact within the Chesapeake region (MD, DC and VA).
- NAACP The NAACP Economic Department recognizes the importance of the economy and economic issues in advancing an equal opportunity society and aims to address the challenging economic realities facing our country (e.g., disproportionately high unemployment, poverty, and foreclosures, etc.).
Think Tanks
- Economic Policy Institute This Washington D.C. center has been broadening the discussion about economic policy to cover the interests of low- and middle-income workers since 1986.
- Inequality.org A portal for data, analysis, and commentary on wealth and income disparity from the Institute for Policy Studies
- Demos A New York City-based nonpartisan public policy research and advocacy organization working for a more equitable economy with widely shared prosperity and opportunity, among other goals.
- Institute for Policy Studies A Washington, D.C. and Boston-based community of public scholars and organizers working with social movements to promote true democracy and challenge concentrated wealth, corporate influence, and military power.
- Center for Economic and Policy Research. A national research organization working to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people’s lives.
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities A Washington, D.C.-based policy organization working at the federal and state levels on policies and programs that impact low- and moderate-income families and individuals.
- Institute for Women’s Policy Research. A rigorous research group that explores how poverty and inequality affect women and also examines pay inequality between women and men.
Inequality Analysis
- The Equality Trust A London-based effort that aims to reduce income inequality through a public and political education designed to widen understanding of the harm that income inequality inflicts on our modern societies.
- Citizens for Tax Justice A Washington, D.C.-based public interest research and advocacy organization that seeks to give ordinary people a greater voice in tax policy, against the armies of special interest lobbyists for corporations and the wealthy.
- Luxembourg Income Study A cross-national data archive and research institute based in Luxembourg that offers scholars and the general public alike access to comparative inequality indicators and commentary.
- The Gini Project An interdisciplinary effort that draws on economics, sociology, political science, and health studies to examine the social impact of growing inequality.
- Population Health Forum A Seattle-based initiative designed to raise awareness and initiate dialogue about how political, economic, and social inequalities interact to affect the overall health status of our society.
Unitarian Universalist Economic Justice Resources