Chapter 4 - The Rich Are Getting Richer
from Part I
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 July 2026
Summary
I begin this chapter by discussing people’s subjective and psychological interpretations of objective economic realities. I present social psychological evidence suggesting that people frequently misinterpret economic realities. I then present evidence from multiple sources illustrating the key point of the chapter: that the rich are getting richer. These data are from Our World in Data and are presented to illustrate how income and wealth inequality in Western neoliberal societies, and throughout the world, wax and wane over time. I critically assess the realities behind these figures and delve into the complexities behind changing patterns of economic inequality. I end the chapter by discussing the ways in which rising levels of contemporary income and wealth inequalities have permeated contemporary political realities.
Information
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- InequalityThe View from Manywheres, pp. 40 - 57Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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