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Understanding economic inequality

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This free course, Understanding economic inequality, explores the causes of economic inequality in modern times and its consequences for success for the economy. The course will encourage you to reflect on your personal experiences of inequality before looking at how the issue is approached in economics. You will study some of the different dimensions of economic inequality, and learn about the main debates on its role in achieving economic success. You will also have the opportunity to put yourself in the shoes of a prime minister and explore what can be done to make economies less unequal.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • understand what economic inequality is
  • know what determines economic inequality
  • understand why inequality matters for society
  • know some of the proposed solutions to inequality
  • understand some of the measures of economic success.

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First Published: 18/02/2019

Updated: 03/01/2020

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