Report launch of An English atlas of inequality at the Nuffield Foundation

We are delighted to invite you to the launch of a new report, An English Atlas of Inequality a study of how inequalities are distributed at the local level.

Inequality has long been recognised as a social problem worth talking about. For example, in Plato’s Republic from 380BC he observes that “any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich”. Likewise, in Benjamin Disraeli’s novel ‘Sybil, or The Two Nations’ he refers to the rich and the poor as ‘dwellers in different zones’. Today, organisations at the global and national scale have begun to take inequality seriously.

Yet despite ongoing technical arguments over methodology and data, we don’t currently have a very good understanding of inequality at the local level in England. Figures like the Gini coefficient tell us that the nation is one of the most unequal amongst OECD countries, but it’s much less clear how unequal local economies are. Therefore our ‘Atlas of Inequality’ seeks to provide up to date evidence on the extent of income inequality in England today, in relation to distribution, polarisation and geography. The measures we develop in the Atlas are then used to arrive at a better understanding of whether more unequal areas have better outcomes, in relation to things like education, poverty or health. Our hope is that this can then feed into new ways of thinking about inequality and, crucially, what to do about it.

Our Atlas is full of maps, charts and data and uses a combination of new and existing indicators to shed light on the extent of income inequality in England today.

Lastly, please note that due to the constraints of our listed Georgian building, we are sadly unable to provide access or facilities for wheelchair users. If you have mobility needs, please contact us for guidance in advance of the meeting. Please also contact us in advance if you require a hearing loop.