Issue 504 of New Internationalist

Reader-owned global journalism

July-August 2017

The Equality Effect

Why should we hold out any hope for greater equality when the very richest people in the world are taking more and more? In this July-August edition of New Internationalist, guest editor Danny Dorling looks at the arguments for more equality and why they make sense.

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In this issue

  • Danny Dorling begins his series of articles by presenting the evidence that greater equality benefits everyone, rich and poor – and argues that it can offer us all political hope.
  • The advantages of equality are clear, while the negative effects of widening inequality in some countries become apparent. But how can we turn the tide?
  • A few fragments from the surprising history of equality, by Danny Dorling.
  • Equality matters in terms of health and happiness, but surprising new data reveals that it is also better for the environment – in the more equal rich countries, people on average consume less, produce less waste and emit less carbon. By Danny Dorling.
  • A photo story of hope for abandoned kids in Togo and Benin
  • Fiona Broom on citizens caught between climate change and profiteers.
  • Hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is trying to tinker with Japan’s pacifist constitution – but peace activists are organizing to thwart him, writes Tina Burrett.
  • China’s appetite for citizen control is going one step further with a new bill that seeks to regulate how fast citizens sing their national anthem.
  • Environmental groups are suing the Norwegian government after it handed out new licences to drill in the Arctic for the first time in 20 years.
  • Ecuadorians have replaced one Leftist president with another, writes Richard Swift.
  • The visually impaired community is celebrating a victory over the copyright industry, Alessio Perrone writes.
  • Indian land rights activist Prafulla Samantara talks to Veronique Mistiaen.