Sir Tony Atkinson to deliver a guest lecture titled ‘Inequality: What can be done?’

Sir Tony Atkinson will be visiting the University of Derby on Monday June 15 at 5.30pm to host a conference titled ‘Inequality: What can be done?

As part of his visit Sir Tony will give a guest lecture which will set out policy proposals that could bring a genuine shift in the distribution of income towards inequality. He will identify ambitious new policies in five areas including: technology, employment, social security, the sharing of capital and taxation.

Economic inequality has become centre stage in the political debate, with the US President and the Head of the IMF declaring that reducing inequality is high on their agenda. 

Sir Tony said: “Inequality is seen as threatening the sustainability of the world economic system but what the political leaders have not said is what they would do about it. There are repeated calls for equitable growth but little clue as to how this is to be achieved.”

Drawing on the lessons of history and taking a fresh look at the underlying economics, Sir Tony will seek to show what could be done to reduce the extent of inequality.

He continued: “The world faces great problems but collectively we are not helpless in the face of forces outside our control. The future is very much in our hands. If we want to reduce inequality then this can be achieved.”

Sir Tony is a Fellow of Nuffield College and is currently Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics. He was knighted in 2001 for services to economics. He is also a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, which is the highest decoration in France.

The insight from Sir Tony’s lecture is from his latest book Inequality: What can be done? which was published in April 2015 by Harvard University Press. The talk will be followed by a book signing.

Sir Tony added: “The key message of the book is that the present levels of income inequality are not inevitable; if we want to reduce inequality then there are practical steps that can be taken.”

Malcolm Todd, Dean of College of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Derby, commented: “We are looking forward to welcoming Sir Tony for what promises to be an interesting and topical conference. Tony has done a great deal to help us understand the meaning of inequity and I hope his lecture will be able to give our students a better understanding.”