Tomas Borenszteyn
Period 2
April 15, 2017
The Price of Inequality Summary
The Price Of Inequality Summary
In his book, The Price of Inequality, Joseph Stiglitz explains the social and economic
divide that is persistent throughout modern society. Stiglitz begins his novel by utilizing the topic
of social inequality as a main factor in the instability of various political systems. He cites the
protests and violence in Egypt and Tunisia as prime examples of situations in which
socioeconomic gaps contributed to the uprisings. He goes on to explain that the economic system
has been built to benefit only a small percentage of the population while leaving most of the
world’s citizens to work harder for less. While the inequality is a by-product of the
socioeconomic system, Americans themselves are contributing to a growing divide and deep
disservice to the common man. The so called “one percent” chooses greed over growth and
renders the poor population helpless, when indeed the rich are the ones who should be investing
in the creation of jobs for the lower class. Another aspect, the government, constantly seeks to
strengthen itself, selling the idea that a stronger government will give back to its people, however
that slogan has proven to be at the very least inconsistent and untrustworthy and at worst outright
corrupt. Those who dare to exercise their 1st amendment right by protesting are fed up with a
system that does nothing but deepen the pockets of those who run it. While this strategy gives a
voice to those who feel that their mouths have been taped shut, it is not enough to defeat the
beast that has formed from decades of deception.
To be able to truly see the size of the inequality gap, one must look no further than the
