Durability in inequality discourse in the UK public sphere, 2008-2023

Mike Savage and Michael Vaughan

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: In this paper, we reflect on how the development and mutations of debates on economic inequality since 2008 reveal striking features regarding the nature and dynamics of the UK public sphere in a time of intersecting crises. We show how economic inequality is an important case study. We draw attention to the dynamic qualities of public debate in the period 2008–2015, in which there was major cross over between academic research, intellectual debate and public engagement. Even though this debate has become less vibrant since 2015 and has been substantially disrupted by “culture war” discourse, it has not been completely closed down. We argue that economic inequality issues have endured through the stabilisation by which key institutional agents have made it a central part of their field positioning. Our contribution is to offer a counterpart to pessimistic conceptions of the public sphere by drawing attention to the durability of economic inequality discussions even after the initiating crises which inspired these discussions have faded.

Keywords: economic inequality; Occupy Wall St; public sphere; duration; field dynamics; "culture wars" (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 17 pages
Date: 2024-02-20
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hme
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Published in Javnost - the Public, 20, February, 2024, 31(1), pp. 176 - 192. ISSN: 1318-3222

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:121597

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