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The Anatomy of Inequality: Its Social and Economic Origins- and Solutions Hardcover – August 30, 2016

by Per Molander (Author)

4.3 17 ratings

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“Virtually all human societies are marked by inequality, at a level that surpasses what could be expected from normal differences in individuals’ capabilities alone.”

So begins this new approach to the greatest social ill of our time, and nearly every other era. From a country with one of the world’s lowest rates of income and social imbalance, award-winning Swedish analyst Per Molander’s book changes the conversation about the causes and effects of inequality. Molander addresses the obvious questions that other pundits often avoid—including why the wealthiest countries, such as the United States, have the greatest incidences of inequality.
Drawing from anthropology, statistics, references to literature, and political science, Molander looks at his subject across various political and ideological systems to examine policies that have created more just societies, and demonstrate how we can enact similar changes in the name of equality. In doing so, he presents a persuasive and moving case that humankind is much greater than the inequalities it has created.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For a long time, I've been violently shaking the most debated book of the spring, Thomas Piketty's Captial in the Twenty-First Century. Now, out falls the core: Per Molander's The Anatomy of Inequality."—Aftonbladet

About the Author

Per Molander was the recipient of the 2016 Essay Prize from the Swedish Academy. He is the author of numerous reports, articles, and books about political philosophy and policy. He has consulted for the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the European Commission, and the Swedish government. He lives in Uppsala, Sweden.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Melville House (August 30, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1612195695
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1612195698
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.7 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,149,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #589 in Comparative Economics (Books)
- #1,142 in Income Inequality
- #4,444 in Economic Policy

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4.3 17 ratings

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Yedu Abajobir

In depth researched.

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2020

Enlightening!

Interesting thesis. The main part of the book is ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2017

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Interesting thesis. The main part of the book is used to explore on a slightly one-dimensional (though interesting) thesis derived from game theory and unequal bargaining games. However, the last few chapters are very interesting.

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T. M. Thurston

Could have less on history and more on solutions

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2018

In The Anatomy of Inequality, Per Molander seeks to answer three questions: Why are all societies unequal? Can inequality be influenced? and How do classical ideologies relate to inequality as a phenomenon? The questions are respectively diagnosis, prognosis and an academic discussion not really necessary for understanding either the problem or the cure.
Starting with a simple game of marbles in which one player has three marbles and the other player has thirty, Molander shows that in any negotiation the player with the most resources will prevail most of the time. Over time, skill and effort matter far less than resources. The process is self-reinforcing, so that economies inexorably tend toward the point where one or a few players control virtually all the resources, allowing the remainder just enough to continue to play. In other words, without some controls, a society will always tend toward the highest level of inequality that their current level of development will allow, the inequality threshold.
As for interventions, there is no single answer that will fix a desirable balance. A feedback system is needed to adjust constantly to the changing situation. Molander does not envision an enforced equality through draconian redistribution. Rather, he desires a society where individual talent and effort count for more in final outcomes. A social-democratic society, as modeled in Northern Europe, can employ three strategies to promote greater equality. First, an active education system; second, a well developed social security system; and third, an effective tax-and-transfer system.
These first two questions are logically related. Why do we need to do anything at all about inequality—the problem is self-reinforcing rather than self-correcting—and given that we need to do something, what should we do? These discussions are not dependent on or influenced by his discussion of classical ideologies. It ought not to be any surprise that virtually all the ideologies, both secular and religious, justify the inequality that inevitably arises. They don’t cause inequality. They just attempt to make it seem fair. The failures of communism are virtually self-evident, leaving Molander only with social democracy as viable for addressing inequality.
Without the discussion of classical ideologies, this already short book (183 pages plus notes and bibliography) might have been too short to be marketable. Nevertheless, I think the reader without an academic interest in the history of political philosophy could easily skip chapters six through eight.

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2016

Social and economic inequality is not just a recent discovery but it has a rich and varied history. This book takes a look at the historical and current-day “development” of this inequality before considering options to eradicate it.

It was a bit of a mixed bag, neither ultra-inspirational and information packed or something best left on the bookstore shelf. To be fair, it probably does require that you are a bit more of a focussed nerd to this subject as it does lack more generalist, mainstream appeal. More is the pity. The author seeks to leverage the experiences of Sweden and its public policy to encourage income and social equality, believing that society can change if it wants without any overly traumatic changes being necessary. The current system is sick, else what could explain why the United States – one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries in the world – has the greatest incidence of inequality. It should be leading the way, not trailing behind, and equality is not a synonym for communism or socialism either.

Certainly the author has thrown a lot of material into the mix, jumping over disciplines in the process, and delivers many interesting ideas and concepts for possible change. It is just that the book is a bit stodgy and reading it does require an above-average degree of concentration and determination. A book like this that seeks to advocate change should be accessible, inviting and engaging, pushing the reader to share the author’s enthusiasm and desire for change. It is less clear whether the boo will achieve the critical mass, especially amongst the general reader community, and that can be a shame.

If you stumble over this book, it may be worth checking out to see if you can connect with it.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

M. F. Symmons

Excellent book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a great book. It focusses on he intrinsic unfairness of life chances - the origins and the forces maintaining this terrible state of affairs. Cuts away to the basics without burdening you with a mass of statistics.

W. Jones

New Analysis of Inequality

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 10, 2017

Verified Purchase

An interesting historical and philosophical analysis of inequality, I enjoyed reading this unusual book.

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