"A brilliantly clear and concise guide. Highly recommended." – Ben Chu, Economics Editor, BBC Newsnight



In this book, Professor Mike Brewer discusses "What We Know" about economic inequalities in the UK, presenting new analysis of the top 1% and 0.1% in the UK, and summarising the causes and consequences of high levels of inequality.



Brewer presents the key trends in economic inequality in the UK and addresses the following issues: Why is curbing inequality now regarded as a global challenge? Why did the UK become more unequal during the 1980s? What has happened to incomes since the financial crash in 2008 and the government austerity that followed? and, how relevant is Thomas Piketty′s prediction that growing wealth inequalities will return us to levels of inequality last seen at the dawn of the twentieth century?


The author then proposes "What We Should Do" to move the UK off its high-inequality path and towards a fairer society, including further taxation, promoting social mobility, wealth redistribution and welfare reform.






The ‘What Do We Know and What Should We Do About...?′ series offers readers short, up-to-date overviews of key issues often misrepresented, simplified or misunderstood in modern society and the media. Each book is written by a leading social scientist with an established reputation in the relevant subject area.



"Short, sharp and compelling." – The Observer



"If you want to learn a lot about what matters most, in as short a time as possible, this is the series for you."- Danny Dorling, Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography, University of Oxford