Economic Inequalities Lead to Social Injustice, Study Finds

Inequality Matters: The Growing Economic Divide in America and Its Poisonous Consequences, edited by James Lardner and David A. Smith, is a collection of articles on the disparities between rich and poor and the opportunities and resources available to them. One essay, written by Eric Wanner, president of the Russell Sage Foundation, describes a project commissioned by the foundation that examined the extent to which economic inequalities led to social inequalities, such as unequal access to health care, high-quality education, and jobs. The study, conducted in partnership with the Carnegie Corporation of New York, found that people raised in poor families are more likely to work in unsafe job environments or commit crimes. Additionally, on average they report lower job satisfaction and general contentment than people raised in middle-class families. The researchers suggest that economic inequalities will continue to be a stubborn and self-perpetuating problem until society acts to close the gap between the wealthy and those of limited means.

Publisher: New Press, 38 Greene Street, New York, N.Y. 10013; http://www.thenewpress.com; 328 pages; $25.95; ISBN 1-56584-995-7.