Inequality and social harm

Revisiting the Spirit Level debate by reproducing and updating it, as well as reanalysing the data with qualitative comparative analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID6429233
AuthorsIan Greener (0000-0003-4918-8019, University of Aberdeen, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume66
Issue1
Pages92-111
Publication date2024-04-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Comparative Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-7152 • E-ISSN: 1568-5187
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00207152241245620
OpenAlexW4395048944
LanguageEN
References cited21

This article explores the relationship between inequality and social harm, revisiting the original “Spirit Level” data from Wilkinson and Pickett, updating it for a later time period, and considering what difference it makes to their results by addressing criticisms made of their original research by using an alternative measure of inequality and expanding the range of possible causal factors. To achieve this, it makes use of both the original method used by Wilkinson and Pickett and that of a different approach, Qualitative Comparative Analysis. It finds that a measure of the kind of democracy (lower “integrative democracy”), along with higher inequality, are the key factors at the root of solutions for explaining higher social harm in both periods, which both follow up the suggestions by Wilkinson and Pickett about the role of democracy in explaining social problems, as well as making the extent and means of that relationship clearer

Criminology · Economics · Epistemology · Harm · Inequality · Law and economics · Positive economics · Qualitative analysis · Qualitative comparative analysis · Qualitative property · Qualitative research · Social inequality · Social science · Sociology · Statistics · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychology · Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research · Social Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access