Is Canada becoming a more polarized society? Or is it a kind-hearted nation that takes care of its disadvantaged? This volume closely examines these differing views through a careful analysis of the causes, trends, and dimensions of inequality to provide an overall assessment of the state of inequality in Canada. Contributors include economists, sociologists, philosophers, and political scientists, and the discussion ranges from frameworks for thinking about inequality, to original analyses using Canadian data, to assessments of significant policy issues, methodologies, and research directions. What emerges is the most detailed picture of inequality in Canada to date and, disturbingly, one that shows signs of us becoming a less just society. An invaluable source of information for policy makers, researchers, and students from a broad variety of disciplines, Dimensions of Inequality in Canada will also appeal to readers interested or involved in public debates over inequality.

Appropriate for courses in social inequality or social stratification. Courses are usually found in sociology departments, but sometimes also in history, philosophy, political science, and economics departments. Social Inequality in Canada: Patterns, Problems and Policies introduces students to the major aspects or dimensions of social inequality in Canada. This collection of thirty-one articles addresses topics that are central to a range of courses, including Social Inequality, Social Class, Social Stratification, Social Issues, and Canadian Society. The new edition has been revised to reflect important new research and changes in the nature of social inequality.

"In this paper, we document some features of the distribution of income, consumption and wealth in Canada using survey data from many different sources. We find that wage and income inequality has increased substantially over the last 30 years, but that much of this rise was offset by the tax and transfer system. As a result, the rise in consumption inequality has been relatively mild . We also document that wealth inequality has remained fairly stable since 1999. A comparison of our results - obtained using confidential data - suggests that while some aspects of inequality are well captured by publicly available data, others paint a drastically different picture."--Authors' abstract.

Income inequality has skyrocketed in Canada over the past few decades. The rich have become richer, while the average household income has deteriorated and job quality has plummeted. Common explanations for these trends point to globalization, technology, or other forces largely beyond our control. But, as Jobs with Inequality shows, there is nothing inevitable about inequality. Rather, runaway inequality is the result of politics and policies - what governments have done to aid the rich and boost finance and what they have not done to uphold the interests of workers. Drawing on new tax and income data, John Peters tells the story of how inequality is unfolding in Canada today by examining post-democracy, financialization, and labour market deregulation. Timely and novel, Jobs with Inequality explains how and why business and government have rewritten the rules of the economy to the advantage of the few, and considers why progressive efforts to reverse these trends have so regularly run aground.

Social Inequality in Canada brings a comparative perspective to the question of the uniqueness of Canadian society. Do Canadians believe they can succeed on the basis of their own abilities? And how do they compare with Americans, Germans, Italians, Australians and Russians? There is much debate as to how Canadians differ from or resemble citizens of other countries, particularly the United States.

Bringing together twenty-one articles written by experts, Social Inequality in Canada explores the many dimensions of social disadvantage and injustice that exist in this country today. Beginning with a thorough examination of structural inequality issues before moving on to address the wide-ranging impact that social inequality can have, the text presents students with a comprehensive overview of both the persistent patterns of inequality as well as the progress that has been made.

Bringing together twenty-five articles written by experts, Social Inequality in Canada explores the many dimensions of social disadvantage and injustice that exist in this country today. Beginning with a thorough examination of structural inequality issues before moving on to address thewide-ranging impact that social inequality can have, the text presents students with a comprehensive overview of both the persistent patterns of inequality as well as the progress that has been made.