(see English below)

RIKK vekur athygli á málþingi sem EDDA – öndvegissetur, í samstarfi við Félags- og mannvísindadeild Háskóla Íslands, stendur fyrir málþingi föstudaginn 2. maí er ber yfirskriftina „Ójöfnuður – stærsta mál samtímans?”. Málþingið verður haldið í fyrirlestrasal Þjóðminjasafns Íslands kl. 14:00-17:00 og fer fram á ensku.

Ójöfnuður hefur verið að aukast í vestrænum samfélögum frá um 1980 og er nú víða orðinn eitt brýnasta viðfangsefni þjóðmálaumræðunnar. Fræðimenn og alþjóðlegar stofnanir hafa kortlagt þróunina og stjórnmálamenn láta sig málið varða í auknum mæli.

Barack Obama, forseti Bandaríkjanna, sagði nýlega að ójöfnuður væri stærsta mál samtímans. Kreppan hefur víða aukið ójöfnuð og fátækt. Nýjar bækur um ójöfnuð eftir höfunda á borð Joseph Stiglitz og, nú síðast, Thomas Piketty hafa vakið mikla athygli..

Tilefni málþingsins er heimsókn ungs og áhrifamikils prófessors frá Harvard- háskóla, Jason Beckfield, sem vinnur að rannsókn á þróun ójafnaðar í Evrópu. Beckfield mun fjalla um hvort samfélag jafnaðar heyri nú sögunni til í Evrópu.

Auk þess munu Stefán Ólafsson prófessor við Háskóla Íslands, Sigrún Ólafsdóttir dósent við Boston-háskóla og Jón Gunnar Bernburg prófessor við Háskóla Íslands flytja erindi. Stefán fjallar um þróun ójafnaðar á Íslandi fyrir og eftir hrun, en Sigrún og Jón Gunnar beina sjónum að viðhorfum Evrópubúa til ójafnaðar.
—–
A symposium organized by EDDA – Center of Excellence in cooperation with the Department of Social and Human Sciences, University of Iceland. Venue: National Museum of Iceland Auditorium. Time: Friday May 2nd 2014, 14:00–17:00

Growing inequality in Europe has raised concerns among policymakers and scholars alike. From the postwar period until the 1970s, it appeared that equality was rising in most, if not all, advanced industrialized nations. But this period was followed by the so called great u-turn in inequality, which was rooted in the adoption of neo-liberal policies in the United States and the United Kingdom. Despite different welfare state organization and ideology, many European countries, including Iceland, have also been affected by this trend. This symposium will highlight what has been described as one of the great current challenges facing developed societies: rising inequality. Bringing together, American and Icelandic scholars, it will focus on the European context for the past few decades, with a special emphasis on how current sociological research can help us understand the Icelandic situation.

14:00–15:15      End of Equality in Europe?
Jason Beckfield, Professor of Sociology, Harvard University

15:15–15:30      Coffee break

15:30–15:50      Income Inequality in Iceland – Before and After the Collapse
Stefán Ólafsson, Professor of Sociology, University of Iceland

15:50–16:10      Does the Public in European Societies Tolerate Inequality?
Sigrún Ólafsdóttir, Associate Professor of Sociology, Boston University and
Jón Gunnar Bernburg, Professor of Sociology,    University of Iceland

16:10–17:00      Panel Discussion with the Speakers

17:00                  Light refreshments

 

Information on the speakers:

Jason Beckfield is a Professor of Sociology at Harvard University. He has written extensively on the sociology of health and on inequality and is presently working on a book about inequality in Europe.

Stefán Ólafsson is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Iceland. He has primarily worked on welfare issues, income inequality and labour market issues.

Sigrún Ólafsdóttir is an Associate Professor at Boston University. She specializes in health sociology and inequality issues.

Jón Gunnar Bernburg is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Iceland. He has worked on youth conditions, social movements, inequality and relative deprivation.