Inequality stirs passions across the globe today, figures prominently in political discourse, generates fervid debate and popular protest, and is the theme of widely read scholarly publications. This book contributes to the burgeoning global dialogues and literature on economic inequality in a new way, identifying and addressing what may be called bedrock types of inequality whose origins are rooted in the history and culture of each country. These kinds of inequality strongly influence income distributions by strata, can be resistant to change, and require solutions beyond fiscal tax and expenditure policies. And it places the findings firmly in the realm of the relevant studies on the topics covered. The countries analyzed include South Korea, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Peru, Estonia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Yemen.
Author(s): Roger D. Norton
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 345
City: Cham
Books by Roger D. Norton
Preface
Readings Cited
Acknowledgments
Contents
1 Yemen: Qat and Water
Arabia Felix
A Parched Village
A Legendary Dam
Old City
Roots of a Crisis
Perverse Policies
Dilemmas of Qat
Excursions in History
Markets for the Leaf
In the Crux Who Pays?
The Development Bargain
2 Estonia: Shaping Freedom
On Edge
A Different Kind of Capitalism
Northern Winter
Cathedral Mountains
Abandoned Lands
From Songs to Markets
Policies and Mindsets
Social Ills
Left Behind
A Strategy Takes Shape
Hope in the Potato Patches
3 Mexico and El Salvador: Yearnings for Education
Ragged Orator
Why Is It So Hard?
4 Honduras: Land Struggles
Hurricanes and Fire
A Colonial Heritage
Clamors for Land
Onions and Sugar Bricks
Voices of Farmers
Political Seasons
Shrimp Ponds
Presidential Deliberations
Confrontations
Polemics and Divisions
Fading Hopes
A Door Left Ajar
A Clearing
After a Lifetime
An Archbishop’s Warning
Shootout
An Ancient Divide
The Bishop’s World
Prophecy Fulfilled
Retrospect and Prospect
5 Pakistan and Bangladesh: A Dream Sundered
An Abstract Country
Pieces of a Puzzle
A Feudal Valley
Monsoon
Storm Clouds
A Great River
Watery Lyrics
Struggles of Tigers and a Country
Staying Afloat
Human Development and Economic Growth
The Spirit of Baishakh
6 Peru: Inequality and Inca Technology
Altiplano
Puno
Iron Monsters
Land Invasions
Inca Engineering
Potatoes
A Festival of Youth
An Empty Wind
Alpaca Herders
Alfalfa and Cheese
Andean Paths
Connectivity
7 Nigeria: Policy Dilemmas
Tropical Dissonance
Workaday Lagos
Island of Sanity
Harmattan
Gin and Data
Project Designs
A Paradox
Sunday’s Peril
Paradox Resolved
Paradise Lost
In the Balance
8 South Korea: Pressurized Takeoff
A Sleep of Centuries
Village Life
Whiphand on the Economy
Abacus Power
Family Life
Smashing Traditions
Korean Hours
A House with a Garden
A Hermit’s Memory
Return to the Village
Success
Choices
Development Debates
9 Epilogue
Structural Inequality and Political Economy
Policies, Governance, and Governments
Agriculture
The Steep Hill for Rural Women
Water, Trees, and Elephants
Commitment and Conviction
Participation
Patience and Vision
Author Index
Subject Index
