A Republic of Equals

Jonathan Rothwell

Published by Princeton University Press 2019

A Republic of Equals

A Manifesto for a Just Society

Jonathan Rothwell

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691189987

Overview
Contents

About this book

A study of inequality, arguing that inequality is not an inevitable function of markets but rather a failing of democracies to provide equal access to markets or public services

Why political inequality is to blame for economic and social injustice

Political equality is the most basic tenet of democracy. Yet in America and other democratic nations, those with political power have special access to markets and public services. A Republic of Equals traces the massive income inequality observed in the United States and other rich democracies to politicized markets and avoidable gaps in opportunity—and explains why they are the root cause of what ails democracy today.

In this provocative book, economist Jonathan Rothwell draws on the latest empirical evidence from across the social sciences to demonstrate how rich democracies have allowed racial politics and the interests of those at the top to subordinate justice. He looks at the rise of nationalism in Europe and the United States, revealing how this trend overlaps with racial prejudice and is related to mounting frustration with a political status quo that thrives on income inequality and inefficient markets. But economic differences are by no means inevitable. Differences in group status by race and ethnicity are dynamic and have reversed themselves across continents and within countries. Inequalities persist between races in the United States because Black Americans are denied equal access to markets and public services. Meanwhile, elite professional associations carve out privileged market status for their members, leading to compensation in excess of their skills.

A Republic of Equals provides a bold new perspective on how to foster greater political and social equality, while moving societies closer to what a true republic should be.

Author information

Jonathan Rothwell is the Principal Economist at Gallup and a visiting scholar at George Washington University's Institute of Public Policy. He lives in Washington, DC. Twitter @jtrothwell

Reviews

"I enjoyed reading A Republic of Equals. This is a book about the rise of inequality and what to do about it."—Gabriel Zucman, author of The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens

"Timely, well-written, and engagingly ambitious, A Republic of Equals is a provocative account of how the economic data on inequality needs to be understood in terms of the political claims that shape it and determine it. This is a book that is likely to have a broad reach."—Duncan Kelly, author of The Propriety of Liberty: Persons, Passions, and Judgement in Modern Political Thought

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
1. Behind the Discontent Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. The Natural Foundations of a Just Society Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	51
3. Merit-Based Egalitarianism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	68
4. The Importance of Equal Access to Public Goods and Markets Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
5. Unequal Access to Education Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	116
6. The Historical Contingencies of Group Differences in Skills Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	148
7. Unequal Access to Housing Markets Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
8. How Unequal Access to Housing Perpetuates Group Inequality and Injustice Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	219
9. Unequal Access to the Buying and Selling of Professional Services Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	242
10. Creating a Just Society Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	273
Appendix Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	295
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	317
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	369