Why has inequality increased in the Western world and what can we do about it? In this new book, The Great Divide, which he will talk about in this public lecture, Joseph E. Stiglitz expands on the diagnosis he offered in his best-selling book The Price of Inequalityand suggests ways to counter this growing problem. Stiglitz argues that inequality is a choice: the cumulative result of unjust policies and misguided priorities. Ultimately, Stiglitz believes our choice is not between growth and fairness; with the right policies, we can choose both.

Joseph Stiglitz (@JosephEStiglitz) was Chief Economist at the World Bank until January 2000. He is currently University Professor of the Columbia Business School, and Chair of the Management Board and Director of Graduate Summer Programs at the Brooks World Poverty Institute, University of Manchester. He won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2001 and is the best-selling author ofGlobalization and Its Discontents, The Roaring Nineties, Making Globalization Work, Freefall and The Price of Inequality, all published by Penguin.

The new International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) at LSE will bring together experts from many LSE departments and centres to lead critical and cutting edge research to understand why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.

Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #LSEStiglitz

Storify

A Storify of tweets from this event can be viewed online: Storify: The Great Divide

Podcast & Video

A podcast and video of this event is available to download from The Great Divide

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.