Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Social inequalities: theories, concepts and problematics

  • Commentary
  • Published:
SN Social Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article aims to present a concise perusal of the different approaches developed in the study of social inequalities and in the relationships that they establish with manifold social processes and problems. The text does not intend to be exhaustive from the theoretical point of view, but rather to present an overview of the analytical complexity of the inequalities systems and demonstrate that they should be tackled in a multidimensional, systemic and multiscale perspective.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

Notes

  1. The most recent configuration of the ACM typology is composed of the following class categories: “Employers and executives are employers or directors at private companies or in the public administration. They may be recruited from any of the groups in the occupational structure. Private Professionals are self-employed and very qualified in certain specialised professions, such as lawyers, architects, and so on. Professionals and managers are employees in upper or mid-level intellectual, scientific and technical jobs. They are different from the previous category essentially because they are not self-employed. Self-employed workers work on their own account without employees in administrative or similar occupations in services and commerce. They include craftsmen and similar workers, farmers and qualified workers in agriculture and fishery. Routine employees are administrative and similar personnel, service employees and salespeople. Industrial workers are manual workers employed in less qualified occupations in construction, industry, transports, agriculture and fishery (Carmo and Nunes 2013, p. 378).

  2. This section is based on Carmo (2014, pp. 134–138).

References

  • Aboim S (2020) Covid-19 e desigualdades de género: uma perspetiva interseccional sobre os efeitos da pandemia. In: Carmo RM, Tavares I, Cândido AF (eds) Um Olhar Sociológico sobre a Crise Covid-19 em Livro. Observatório das Desigualdades, CIES-Iscte, Lisbon, pp. 130–148: https://www.observatorio-das-desigualdades.com/2020/11/29/umolharsociologicosobreacovid19emlivro

  • ADB—Asian Development Bank (2012) Outlook 2012. Confronting Rising Inequality in Asia s.1., ADB.

  • Atkinson AB (2015) Inequality: what can be done? Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Barata A, Carmo RM (2015) O Futuro nas Mãos: de Regresso à Política do Bem-Comum. Tinta-da-China, Lisbon

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhir A, Pfefferkorn R (2008) Le system des Inégalités. La Découverte, Paris

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu P (2010[1979]) A Distinção: uma crítica social da faculdade de juízo. Edições 70, Lisbon.

  • Cantante F (2019) O Risco da Desigualdade. Almedina, Coimbra

    Google Scholar 

  • Carmo RM (2009) Coesão e capital social: uma perspetiva para as políticas públicas. In: Veloso L, Carmo RM (eds) A Constituição Social da Economia. Mundos Sociais, Lisbon, pp 197–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Carmo RM (2014) Sociologia dos Territórios: Teorias. Estruturas e Deambulações, Mundos Sociais, Lisbon

    Google Scholar 

  • Carmo RM, Nunes N (2013) Class and social capital in Europe: a transnational analysis of the European Social Survey. Eur Soc 15(3):373–387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carmo RM, Rio C, Medgyesi M (eds) (2018) Reducing inequalities: a challenge for the European Union? Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke

  • Castells, M (2000) The information age. Economy, society and culture. 2ª ed., Blackwell Publishers, Oxford.

  • Costa AF (1998) Classificações Sociais. Leituras: Revista da Biblioteca Nacional 3(2):65–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa AF (2012) Desigualdades Sociais Contemporâneas. Mundos Sociais, Lisbon

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa AF, Mauritti R (2018) Classes sociais e interseções de desigualdades: Portugal e a Europa. In: Carmo RM et al (eds) Desigualdades Sociais: Portugal e a Europa. Mundos Sociais, Lisbon, pp 109–129

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill Collins P (2019) Intersectionality as critical social theory. Duke University Press, Durham

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Massey D (2007) World city. Polity Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Milanovic B (2012) Global income inequality by the numbers: in history and know. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 6259: 1–28

  • Milanovic B (2016) Global inequality. Cambridge, Belknap

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2011) Divided we stand. Why inequality keeps rising. OECD Publications, Paris

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2015) In it together: Why less inequality benefits all. OECD Publications, Paris

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2018) A broken social elevator? How to promote social mobility. OECD Publications, Paris

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Parkin F (1979) Marxism and class theory: a bourgeois critique. Tavistock, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Piketty T (2020) Capital and ideology. Cambridge, Belknap

    Google Scholar 

  • Rawls J (2001) [1971] Uma Teoria da Justiça, 2nd edn. Editorial Presença, Lisbon

  • Sassen S (2000) Cities in a world economy. Pine Forge Press, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen A (1980) Equality of What? In: McMurrin S (ed) Tanner lectures on human values, vol I. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen A (2003) Desenvolvimento como Liberdade. Gradiva, Lisbon

    Google Scholar 

  • Therborn G (ed) (2006) Inequalities of the world new theoretical frameworks: multiple empirical approaches. Verso, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Therborn G (2013) The killing fields of inequality. Polity Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilly C (2005) Historical perspectives on inequality. In: Romero M, Margolis E (eds) The Blackwell Companion to Social Inequalities. Blackwell, Malden, pp 15–30

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP (2019) Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: inequalities in human development in the 21st century. Human Development Report 2019.

  • Wilkinson R, Pickett K (2009) The spirit level. Why more equal societies almost always do better. Allen Lane, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright EO (1994) Análises de classes, história e emancipação. Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais 40:3–35

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was developed within the project EmployALL—The employment crisis and the Welfare State in Portugal: deterring drivers of social vulnerability and inequality, funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (PTDC/SOC-SOC/30543/2017).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Renato Miguel Carmo

Authors
  1. Renato Miguel Carmo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Renato Miguel Carmo.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Carmo, R.M. Social inequalities: theories, concepts and problematics. SN Soc Sci 1, 116 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00134-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00134-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation