Social Inequalities in the Global South

Abstract

Roundtable Global South. Economic, social and political inequalities are pressing issues for countries in the Global North and the Global South alike. At the same time, these inequalities materialize differently across these contexts. For instance, the most unequal societies, in terms of income inequality, can be found in Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa whereas European countries rank much lower in terms of income inequality. Similarly, political and social inequalities, such as political participation or educational opportunities, but also gender and health inequalities vary significantly across world regions, too. And if we think about climate change and its consequences another layer of inequality becomes visible: while countries in the Global South have contributed little to the problem of climate change these countries feel the brunt of the impact often reinforcing existing inequalities. In contrast, countries in the Global North are mainly responsible for creating the problem in the first place, but the impact of climate change is less pronounced so far and the link to inequality less apparent. This roundtable will therefore discuss the question of inequality research in the Global South from various perspectives. It will deal with questions such as: How far does inequality across countries globally impact on inequality within countries of the Global South? What are the most important topics in inequality research coming from a Global South perspective? How much does this perspective align or contrast with the research agenda of inequality researchers in the Global North? How much does any of this depend on the specific type of inequality under study?

Chair: Gabriele Spilker, University of Konstanz