Wilkinson’s Lectures in NZ: Things to do about inequality

1. Information and knowledge sharing.
2. Reduce tax avoidance e.g tax havens, this aligns with Piketty’s conclusions in his book, “CAPITAL”.
3. Strengthen union membership including increasing full voting representation on company boards.
4. Need democratic control on the ratio of top to lower worker incomes.
5. Put more democratic influence into business e.g. Germany’s example of democratic leadership in business.
6. Loans/grants for employee buyouts of companies ‘s shares.
7. Tax concessions for companies willing to demonstrate that approach.

Following these bullet points, there were the following observations:

Equality and sustainability are compatible.
The good life does not need continued economic growth (see Piketty on this too).
Finally two aphorisms or adages; ‘An unequal society is always an uneasy society’ and ‘Status anxiety drives consumerism’.