Inequality and the Fading of Redistributive Politics

The redistributive state is fading in Canada. Government programs are no longer offsetting the growth in inequality generated by the market. In this book, leading political scientists, sociologists, and economists point to the failure of public policy to contain surging income inequality. A complex mix of forces has reshaped the politics of social policy, including global economic pressures, ideological change, shifts in the influence of business and labour, changes in the party system, and the decline of equality-seeking civil society organizations. This volume demonstrates that action and inaction – policy change and policy drift – are at the heart of growing inequality in Canada.

Keith Banting is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Studies and Stauffer Dunning Fellow in the School of Policy Studies. His research interests focus on public policy in Canada and other contemporary democracies