Antisocial Economics

If we want action on extreme wealth, how we frame it as a problem in the media and in campaigning activity matters. Specific ways of talking about it make the public more or less likely to support re- or pre-distributive measures.   In this final, bumper episode we ask, what does the public think about wealth, the wealthy and wealth inequality, and can certain 'frames' increase public support for...

"What do we want?" "Transparency and good data about tax expenditures!" "When do we want it?" "Now!" It's possibly not the rallying cry that 'Tax the rich!' is. But reforming tax expenditures is a wealth distribution lever that could have significant beneficial effects for those at the bottom. It's the less sexy cousin of wealth tax in economic injustice campaigning activity. But should that chang...

When does having “enough” turn into having too much? The richest people on the Sunday Times rich list are 5,000 times as rich as somebody who's already in the top 1%. Do they really need their surplus billions more than society needs money to improve public services and lift low paid workers up to a living wage?  Sarah Kerr talks to Luke Hildyard and Fernanda Balata about the idea of limits. Luke...

Colonialism played a huge role in shaping the modern world, but it’s often left out of the discussion when we talk about today’s inequalities of wealth. Looking at Europe's colonial past is essential to understanding the wealth disparities we see today. Professor Gurminder K. Bhambra is a Professor of Historical Sociology at the University of Sussex. Her research focuses on global historical socio...

In this episode, political philosopher Professor Jonathan Wolff and sociologist Professor Mike Savage join Sarah Kerr to explore whether and how a sharper focus on wealth - not just income - might be necessary for addressing poverty. Jo co-authored  A Philosophical Review of Poverty  with Edward Lamb and Eliana Zur-Szpiro in 2015. Ten years on, Jo talks to Sarah about how poverty is defined and me...

Economic insecurity in midlife is compounded by lack of wealth in the form of savings or private pensions. Professor Jane Green is a political scientist at the University of Oxford and one of the lead researchers for ‘ The British Election Study’ . In 2025, she co-authored a report for JRF with colleagues at the Nuffield Political Research Centre called ‘ Addressing Key Voters’ Economic Insecurity...

The economy isn’t working for most people, and wealth inequality is at the heart of the problem. We all work hard, but the wealth we create together is extracted to enrich a few men at the top. It feels unfair. And that’s because, frankly, it is! I’m Sarah Kerr, a sociologist of wealth, and I’m going to be talking to interesting researchers and social campaigners about the relationship between wea...