LSE Inequalities

Who climbs the income ladder? New evidence from tax records Using surveys to track short-term social mobility – how much people move up or down the income ladder – has limitations. How can using administrative data help?

Traditional ways of tracking social mobility – how much people move up or down the income ladder – have several limitations.

Sebastian Königs and Javier Terrero Dávila (@oecdsocial.bsky.social) address these in our latest blog post.

#LSEInequalitiesBlog

Thinking Popular Mobilization with Gramsci This event launches Professor John Chalcraft's new book, From Subordination to Revolution: A Gramscian Theory of Popular Mobilization.

Upcoming event:

Professor John Chalcraft launches his new book 'From Subordination to Revolution: A Gramscian Theory of Popular Mobilization'.

The book presents a new theory which can link together diverse popular struggles amid the crises of the contemporary world.

Racism and racial justice | Broadwater Farm uprising 6.30pm Weds 1 Oct | Sharon Grant, Clive Chijioke Nwonka, Roxana Willis | Ticket Required | Free public event at LSE

📣 Join us TODAY for LSE's annual Black History Month event!

We explore the legal, political and community-based racial justice work that emerged 40 years ago from the Broadwater Farm riots, and the present-day methods of resistance it inspired.

There is still time to register 👇
buff.ly/4mLPJHP

Upcoming III seminar:

Mobarak Hossain (lsesocialpolicy.bsky.social) examines the relationship between 'modernization' as part of broader structural changes and intergenerational educational mobility during the twentieth century.

Register in-person: buff.ly/3e5WMF6
Register online: buff.ly/b9fFAux

From Where We Stand and the Northern Exposure project on race, nation and disaffection in the North of England after Brexit Join us for the screening of 'From where we stand', followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker Lucy Kaye.

📣 Coming up tomorrow:
Join a special screening of the film 'From Where We Stand', an authentic portrait of Northern England post-Brexit.

The film will be introduced by Adrian Favell, and followed by a Q&A with Mike Savage and the filmmaker Lucy Kaye.

buff.ly/cbquD4H

Who climbs the income ladder? New evidence from tax records Using surveys to track short-term social mobility – how much people move up or down the income ladder – has limitations. How can using administrative data help?

In our latest blog, Javier Terrero Dávila (@oecdsocial.bsky.social) asks how much income mobility do different countries exhibit?

And how does it vary across different groups relating to age, gender, education and where people live?

#LSEInequalitiesBlog

buff.ly/6Jo3KX7

Global inequality in historical perspective: Part 2 Thomas Piketty asks: what investment in education, health & infrastructure could move us to more equal global economy by 2100? What are the political obstacles?

“Why don't we have more of a political response to rising inequality in recent decades? Why are the redistributive policies that we could expect not being implemented?”

@thomaspiketty.bsky.social answers these questions in our latest blog post #LSEInequalitiesBlog

“We find that mobile internet access widens the urban-rural wealth gap and magnifies inequality across educational lines”
– @neillee.bsky.social Zhiwu Wei & Yohan Iddawela in our latest blog post #LSEInequalitiesBlog

buff.ly/cobkSQE

Global inequality in historical perspective: Part 1 Thomas Piketty describes rich countries' big reduction in income inequality since 1900 and debunks claims of a large productivity gap” between US & Europe today

Thomas Piketty (@PikettyWIL) notes the impressive rise in productivity that has accompanied the pickup in equality in rich countries – and debunks claims of a large productivity “gap” between the US and Europe today #LSEInequalitiesBlog

Antisocial Economics What is wealth? How come so many of us haven’t got any? How does wealth inequality make poverty worse? In the UK and other rich economies, wealth inequality and poverty are at incredibly high…

You can now listen to all episodes of 'Talking about Wealth' - the first series of Antisocial Economics!

In this series, Sarah Kerr (@wealtherty.bsky.social) explores the links between wealth, poverty and power with leading academics and campaigners.

Listen now 👇

Racism and racial justice | Broadwater Farm uprising 6.30pm Weds 1 Oct | Sharon Grant, Clive Chijioke Nwonka, Roxana Willis | Ticket Required | Free public event at LSE

40 years ago, Tottenham's Broadwater Farm Estate became the site of one of Britain's most significant moments of civil disobedience.

Join us on 1 October as we explore the legal, political and community-based racial justice work which emerged from these events.

Register now 👇

We're delighted to have Colombia’s first Afro-Colombian Vice President, Francia Elena Márquez Mina, speak at LSE.

She will discuss her rise to political prominence. She will be joined by @robtelneajai.bsky.social and Kandya Obezo-Casseres.

More info 👇
buff.ly/GzFuJvn

#BlackHistoryMonth

Global inequality in historical perspective: Part 2 Thomas Piketty asks: what investment in education, health & infrastructure could move us to more equal global economy by 2100? What are the political obstacles?

There is enormous inequality between countries today. Thomas Piketty (@thomaspiketty.bsky.social) asks: what investment in education, health & infrastructure could move us to more equal global economy by 2100? What are the political obstacles?

#LSEInequalitiesBlog

Global inequality in historical and comparative perspective: Part 1 - LSE Inequalities Thomas Piketty describes rich countries' big reduction in income inequality since 1900 and debunks claims of a large productivity gap” between US & Europe today

In this summary of historical trends, @thomaspiketty.bsky.social argues that rich countries (esp. in Europe) have seen big reductions in income inequality since 1900, in contrast to Latin America & Sub-Saharan Africa #LSEInequalitiesBlog

Read it here 👇

We are excited for the start of this term's Inequalities Seminar Series!

In our first seminar, @katymorris.bsky.social explores the effects of income misperceptions on inequality beliefs and preferences.

🎟️ Attend in-person: buff.ly/VGrS38l
💻 Attend online: buff.ly/U7CxSmD

📣 The Call for Papers for the British Journal of Sociology 2026 Conference is open!

Following the success of our inaugural conference in 2024, we are delighted to announce its return on 23 and 24 April 2026 at LSE.

📆 Submit your paper by 20 October 2025 ➡️ buff.ly/TdmBcur

Mobile internet access and wealth inequality in the Philippines Mobile connectivity can boost jobs and incomes. But how does it shape household wealth inequality? The 7000+ islands of the Philippines is an ideal case study

Mobile connectivity can positively impact on jobs and incomes. But how does it affect household wealth inequality?

@neillee.bsky.social, Zhiwu Wei & Yohan Iddawela investigate, taking the Philippines as the ideal case study #LSEInequalitiesBlog

Read the post here: buff.ly/cobkSQE

Thank you to everyone who joined us at LSE to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the International Inequalities Institute!

Over two days, our conference featured parallel sessions on diverse themes of inequality, alongside two inspiring keynote lectures and a thought-provoking panel discussion.

We are thrilled to be hosting this in-person and online public event, 'Not just lines on a map: borders in a changing world' 🌍

🗓️ Thursday 9 October, 6:30-8:00 pm
📍 Old Theatre (Old Building, LSE) & online

Register here: bit.ly/468GQAo

New Capitalism in America, Part III - LSE Inequalities Why is capital so concentrated and why do so few have it? Under the "new" capitalism, why do 85% of the world’s population remain capital-income destitute?

“What has happened is not that capital income trickled down, but that labour income ‘trickled up’” – @brankomilan.bsky.social on how income from capital remains a privilege of the few in our latest blog post #LSEInequalitiesBlog

Read the post here: buff.ly/BEs46q0

III Seminar: Asymmetric Information and Market Failure in Bank-NBFC Co-Lending Model Asymmetric Information and Market Failure in Bank-NBFC Co-Lending Model Tuesday 23 September, 1.00 - 2.00pm. In-person seminar. CBG 12.01.  Speaker: Dr Bibekananda Panda, 2025 Subir Chowdhury…

Upcoming Seminar: Asymmetric Information & Market Failure in Bank-NBFC Co-Lending Model

📅 Tue 23 Sept, 1–2pm
📍 CBG 12.01
Speaker: Dr Bibekananda Panda, 2025 Subir Chowdhury Visiting Fellow

Register now 👇

New Capitalism in America, Part II - LSE Inequalities Can combining "compositional inequality" - a proxy for a class-based society - with income inequality allow us to categorise the varieties of capitalism?

Whereas the Gini coefficient measures income inequality, @brankomilan.bsky.social explains how “compositional inequality” serves as a proxy for a class-based society – allowing for studies of different forms of capitalism across economic and political dimensions #LSEInequalitiesBlog

Racism and racial justice | Broadwater Farm uprising 6.30pm Weds 1 Oct | Sharon Grant, Clive Chijioke Nwonka, Roxana Willis | Ticket Required | Free public event at LSE

We are honoured to be hosting LSE's annual Black History Month event!

40 years on from the Broadwater Farm riots, our speakers will examine methods of resistance that continue to address present-day questions of race, racism and social inequality.

Registration required ⬇️
bit.ly/4glHaze

New Capitalism in America The richest capitalists and richest workers are increasingly the same people: replacing a class-based society, we now have an elite-ruled society

In the class-based society of the “old” capitalism, there was a clear contradiction between capital and labour. But today, the richest capitalists & the richest workers are increasingly the same people. What should we make of this, asks @brankomilan.bsky.social? #LSEInequalitiesBlog

AI and social care: How LLMs downplay women’s health needs AI tools are used in the delivery of public health and social care services. They reduce paperwork and save time - but they can also introduce a gender bias?

Is there gender bias in #LargeLanguageModels? “Women with the same conditions were described more euphemistically – or with key details omitted entirely” – new research from Sam Rickman in our latest blog post #LSEInequalitiesBlog

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AI and social care: How LLMs downplay women’s health needs AI tools are used in the delivery of public health and social care services. They reduce paperwork and save time - but they can also introduce a gender bias?

AI tools are used in the UK’s public services to reduce paperwork and save time. But in social care contexts, LLMs can downplay women’s health needs compared to men’s, finds Sam Rickman. See our latest blog post #LSEInequalitiesBlog

🔗 buff.ly/4ZwwJwu

President Cyril Ramaphosa launches historic G20 experts taskforce led by Joseph Stiglitz to combat extreme wealth inequality | The Presidency The G20 Presidency of South Africa today launched a new “Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts” – commissioned by the President of South Africa, H.E. Mr Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, and chaired…

We welcome the launch of a new G20 experts taskforce on global wealth inequality, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa and led by Joseph Stiglitz.

This is a vital step toward addressing the impact of wealth inequality on growth, poverty, and multilateralism.

Multiple pathways to personhood: The case of Bangladeshi women How have Bangladeshi women challenged gender norms amidst the “lived” Islam of their culture, in contrast to the "universal" approach of Western feminism?

“What the Bangladesh story told me is that within Islam itself, as within any religion, women do not necessarily value the same things or speak the same language” – Naila Kabeer on the universal language of progress of Western feminism

🔗https://buff.ly/NKDl90A

How post-materialism fuelled the rise of the far right - LSE Inequalities What values and cultural tastes separate the professional managerial elite from middle-status folk in routine jobs &how is this driving contemporary politics?

On culture, class and politics: “Non-elites can’t attain class ideals but they can access gender and family ideals, by being a ‘real man’ or a ‘good mother’”– @joan-c-williams.bsky.social in our latest blog post #LSEInequalitiesBlog

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Antisocial Economics What is wealth? How come so many of us haven’t got any? How does wealth inequality make poverty worse? In the UK and other rich economies, wealth inequality and poverty are at incredibly high…

Why is it so hard to do anything about wealth inequality?

In the final episode of this series of Antisocial Economics, Sarah Kerr (@wealtherty.bsky.social) talks to Will Snell, @michaelvaughan.bsky.social, and @jonathanmijs.com about what makes change hard to achieve.

buff.ly/pEad8xT