The Divide: Global Inequality from Conquest to Free Markets

Business & Finance, Economics, Economic Development
Cover of the book The Divide: Global Inequality from Conquest to Free Markets by Jason Hickel, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jason Hickel ISBN: 9780393651379
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: February 13, 2018
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Jason Hickel
ISBN: 9780393651379
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: February 13, 2018
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

Global inequality doesn’t just exist; it has been created.

More than four billion people—some 60 percent of humanity—live in debilitating poverty, on less than $5 per day. The standard narrative tells us this crisis is a natural phenomenon, having to do with things like climate and geography and culture. It tells us that all we have to do is give a bit of aid here and there to help poor countries up the development ladder. It insists that if poor countries would only adopt the right institutions and economic policies, they could overcome their disadvantages and join the ranks of the rich world.

Anthropologist Jason Hickel argues that this story ignores the broader political forces at play. Global poverty—and the growing inequality between the rich countries of Europe and North America and the poor ones of Africa, Asia, and South America—has come about because the global economy has been designed over the course of five hundred years of conquest, colonialism, regime change, and globalization to favor the interests of the richest and most powerful nations. Global inequality is not natural or inevitable, and it is certainly not accidental. To close the divide, Hickel proposes dramatic action rooted in real justice: abolishing debt burdens in the global South, democratizing the institutions of global governance, and rolling out an international minimum wage, among many other vital steps. Only then will we have a chance at a world where all begin on more equal footing.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Global inequality doesn’t just exist; it has been created.

More than four billion people—some 60 percent of humanity—live in debilitating poverty, on less than $5 per day. The standard narrative tells us this crisis is a natural phenomenon, having to do with things like climate and geography and culture. It tells us that all we have to do is give a bit of aid here and there to help poor countries up the development ladder. It insists that if poor countries would only adopt the right institutions and economic policies, they could overcome their disadvantages and join the ranks of the rich world.

Anthropologist Jason Hickel argues that this story ignores the broader political forces at play. Global poverty—and the growing inequality between the rich countries of Europe and North America and the poor ones of Africa, Asia, and South America—has come about because the global economy has been designed over the course of five hundred years of conquest, colonialism, regime change, and globalization to favor the interests of the richest and most powerful nations. Global inequality is not natural or inevitable, and it is certainly not accidental. To close the divide, Hickel proposes dramatic action rooted in real justice: abolishing debt burdens in the global South, democratizing the institutions of global governance, and rolling out an international minimum wage, among many other vital steps. Only then will we have a chance at a world where all begin on more equal footing.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book The Tree-Sitter: A Novel by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765-1776 by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book You Will See Fire: A Search for Justice in Kenya by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book Firebrand of Liberty: The Story of Two Black Regiments That Changed the Course of the Civil War by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book Whereas: Poems by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book The Trouble Ball: Poems by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book Inferno: A New Verse Translation by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book Edit Yourself: A Manual for Everyone Who Words with Words by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book Crescent: A Novel by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book Timeless: Nature's Formula for Health and Longevity by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book Lytton Strachey: The New Biography by Jason Hickel
Cover of the book The Well-Tuned Brain: The Remedy for a Manic Society by Jason Hickel
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy