Who’s on top? Inequality for the rich and poor

Economic inequality shapes all our lives. But how does it play out at the top and bottom of the global economic order? This presentation uses three studies to examine this question. Hangyoung Lee will look at top wealth households in the United States and China, showing how the elite in these two countries have very different compositions. Jarvis Zhuo will present a study of one million Covid-19 deaths in the United States and show how between one in ten and one in seven deaths appear to be due to the low educational backgrounds of some of the most disadvantaged communities in the United States. Nicholas Harrigan will present a study of 10,000 residents of eight low-income villages in Cambodia, and show how inequality within villages shapes subjective wellbeing, with inequality having the most negative effects on the poorest households within these villages. Together, these three studies show the causes and consequences of inequality in a diverse range of settings, with the unifying insight that inequality changes lives and shapes the societies in which we live.​