Report on the World Social Situation 2013: Inequality Matters

Acknowledgements The Report on the World Social Situation, prepared biennially, is the flagship publication on major social development issues of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. Wenyan Yang led the team from the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) that prepared the present issue of the Report. The core team at the Division included Lisa Ainbinder, Sarangerel Erdembileg, Astrid Hurley, Felice Llamas, Marta Roig, Amson Sibanda and Makiko Tagashira. Kevin Chua, a consultant, and Leena Kemppainen, Lisa Morrison, Julie Pewitt, Hantamalala Rafalimanana and Simone Wilson, who have moved to other offices, also contributed to early drafts. Yu Jia, Pytrik Oosterhof and Josiane Toundzi joined the team at a later stage. Bibi Sherifa Khan and Sylvie Pailler, also of DSPD, provided valuable assistance. Tessa Too-Kong edited the Report. Input to the Report was also received from an independent expert, Jayati Ghosh. Preparation for the Report on the World Social Situation 2013 started with overall guidance from Jomo Kwame Sundaram, then Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development. Finalization of the Report benefited from valuable guidance of Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development Shamshad Akhtar and DSPD Director Daniela Bas. Mariangela Parra-Lancourt, Special Assistant to ASG Akhtar, provided constructive feedback and suggestions. The Report has also benefited from positive feedback from colleagues within and outside the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. We are grateful for all who have contributed.

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Report on the World Social Situation 2013: Inequality Matters

Published on Feb 13, 2014

United Nations Publications

The 2013 report examines key drivers of inequality that have emerged in the recent past and the impact of rising inequality. It examines trends in social, economic and spatial inequalities and assesses why inequality matters in order to propose policy solutions to this persistent problem, paying particular attention to the potential role of empowerment and participation. The report highlights inequalities within and across countries and shows the cumulative, mutually-reinforcing effects these inequalities have on the systematic lack of participation and disadvantage of some social groups and on the inter-generational transmission of poverty. It discusses the role of economic and political institutions in promoting participation and empowerment.