Richard Wilkinson on how economic inequality harms society and individuals

This talk, by Richard Wilkinson, was recorded at at a three-day conference on Labour Rights and Their Impact on Democracy, Economic Equality and Social Justice, which was held in Toronto from March 26 -28, 2013.

Wilkinson is one of the world’s most respected researchers on social inequalities, and is the author of Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone. His keynote talk brings in extensive data that shows how economic inequality harms our lives and societies and discusses how societies with more equal distribution of incomes have better health, fewer social problems, and are more productive than ones which have a greater gap between the rich and the poor.

Wilkinson is Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, Honorary Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London, and Visiting Professor at University of York. He’s also co-founder of The Equality Trust, which works to reduce income inequality in order to improve the quality of life in the UK. 

The conference was hosted by The Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights and was sponsored by the National Union of Public and General Employees, United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the Canadian Teachers' Federation.