| Book Categories | | • | Antiquarian, Rare & Collectable | | • | Art, Architecture & Photography | | • | Audio Cassettes | | • | Audio CDs | | • | Biography | | • | Business, Finance & Law | | • | Calendars, Diaries, Annuals & More | | • | Children's Books | | • | Comics & Graphic Novels | | • | Computing & Internet | | • | Crime, Thrillers & Mystery | | • | e-Books | | • | Fantasy | | • | Fiction | | • | Food & Drink | | • | Gay & Lesbian | | • | Health, Family & Lifestyle | | • | History | | • | Home & Garden | | • | Horror | | • | Humour | | • | Languages | | • | Mind, Body & Spirit | | • | Music, Stage & Screen | | • | Poetry, Drama & Criticism | | • | Reference | | • | Religion & Spirituality | | • | Romance | | • | Science & Nature | | • | Science Fiction | | • | Scientific, Technical & Medical | | • | Society, Politics & Philosophy | | • | Sports, Hobbies & Games | | • | Study Books | | • | Travel & Holiday | | • | Young Adult |
|
|
|
|
The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better |  | Authors: Richard Wilkinson, Kate Pickett
Publisher: Penguin
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £4.99
as of 10/9/2010 23:07 BST details
You Save: £5.00 (50%)
New (26) Used (4) from £3.63
Seller: Amazon.co.uk
Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 115
Media: Paperback
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 0141032367
EAN: 9780141032368
ASIN: 0141032367
Publication Date: February 4, 2010
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
| |
| Features:
| • | New | | • | Mint Condition | | • | Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon | | • | Guaranteed packaging | | • | No quibbles returns |
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Why do we mistrust people more in the UK than in Japan? Why do Americans have higher rates of teenage pregnancy than the French? What makes the Swedish thinner than the Greeks? The answer: inequality. This book provides a new way of thinking about ourselves and our communities, and could change the way you see the world.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 45
 An important and well articulated book August 26, 2010
Torben
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Before I bought this I read the reviews, including those that mention a 'companion' or 'follow-up' book "The Spirit Level Delusion'. The terms 'companion' and 'follow-up' suggest some kind of formal link between these two volumes. This is very misleading of the reviewers concerned and is not, at all, the case; the Delusion book is an attack on 'The Sprit Level' by someone unconnected with the original; that's fair enough - the book deserves wide debate and is bound to be controversial, but let's keep the debate honest.....
Other reviewers have suggested that the book is either not well-researched, wouldn't pass an academic peer-review or doesn't provide enough mathematical analysis. This is a 'popular' book folks! For those who want them there are over 25 pages of references, the majority to peer reviewed papers and academic books. This includes many of the authors' own publications - so the academics among the readership have plenty of further reading to pursue.
As my title suggests, I think the book provides a clear and well-articulated (and well referenced) case for the need to move towards a more equal society and I hope that it has the impact it deserves on political thinking.
Got any friends or family who are Tory, buy this and force them to read it. August 24, 2010
Mr. N. Doyle
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A brilliantly powerful polemic on all that is wrong with modern society and the malign influence of the endless drive for more profit. The UK and USA are consistently the worse performing countries on all aspects of society from mental health, drug abuse, levels of violence and the authors have shown in this book that is directly related to the 1980's and the double headed serpent that was Reagan and Thacther.
The danger of non-peer revieved data but worth a read August 17, 2010
Ashley W. Roughton (London, UK)
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
I recommend this book. However read below.
My PhD supervisor told me that data which could not pass the peer review process might make it if published in a book. On reading this publication one feels that this is precisely what has been done. To be sure, peer reviewers can sometime ask too much of their authors and (from bitter experience) can be very blinkered - a book is often the only way in which data may be published free from the shackles of the peer review process. On the other hand a peer reviewed paper does give the reader more comfort and, it must be said, less cause for the exercise of caution.
The central thesis is that inequality leads to "societies doing better". Whilst one can see a good social argument for reducing inequality so that those who are worse off become better off (though in a Pareto efficient way so that those who are better of do not become worse off) the proposition is only meaningful if it can be proven - what the book attempts to do. Whether it achieves this is another matter. This reviewer, for one, is not sure that it has been achieved. Further, and this is perhaps the main criticism of the book, an equally good book could be written showing that such a proposition could not be proved or indeed suggesting further, better measures for social welfare or inequality.
The first measure seems to be income inequality and not inequality per se and the second seems to be some sort of vague unexplained measure which can mean many things to many people. Correlations are established so that on one view, on one planet, in one mind it could be said that there is a relation between income inequality and social welfare. Although necessarily subjective, in this reviewer's view the authors fail to provide a convincing argument that there is any causal relationship between social welfare and income inequality.
However, that said, I would recommend this very readable book. You certainly come away thinking about the issues more clearly. Whether you agree with them is ultimately up to you and not for a reviewer to decide.
The Spirit Level August 16, 2010
Dave from Bas
Brilliantly argued case for a fairer society being better for all - even those at the top. A 'must read' for everyone interested in society and social justice.
£5 worth of excellent sense August 10, 2010
Mrs Pamela Ashton
This little book is one of the most important books of the decade. It is totally readable and should be read by all. I give it as presents as it is less than the price of twopints of beer and much better for you!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 45
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON EU S.à.r.l. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. | |
