Kate Pickett's 'The Good Society' Review: A Critique of Inequality as the Ultimate Social Problem
In her latest book, Kate Pickett revisits one of the central arguments from her 2009 bestseller, "The Spirit Level", which posited that inequality was the root cause of many social problems. While still sympathetic to the idea, Pickett is now less convinced by its impact on overall welfare, citing a puzzling trade-off between lower inequality and slower economic growth in the UK since 2010.
Pickett's new book offers a comprehensive policy agenda, covering topics from healthcare to education and criminal justice, but it lacks a unified framework. Instead, she presents a series of solutions drawn from successful social democracies in Northern Europe, often without providing in-depth analysis or acknowledging potential criticisms. While this approach may appeal to those already sympathetic to her views, experts with specialized knowledge may find the proposals oversimplified.
One notable exception is Pickett's discussion on Universal Basic Income (UBI), which she has researched extensively alongside colleague Howard Reed. Her proposals for a UK UBI are serious and well-costed, even if they overstate its potential benefits. A more nuanced understanding of the policy's limitations would strengthen her argument.
Ultimately, "The Good Society" concludes with an appeal for greater use of evidence in policymaking and citizen juries, which strikes some as out of touch with current political realities. The book leaves the reader feeling neither more nor less optimistic about the feasibility of Pickett's vision for a fairer, healthier society.
In her latest book, Kate Pickett revisits one of the central arguments from her 2009 bestseller, "The Spirit Level", which posited that inequality was the root cause of many social problems. While still sympathetic to the idea, Pickett is now less convinced by its impact on overall welfare, citing a puzzling trade-off between lower inequality and slower economic growth in the UK since 2010.
Pickett's new book offers a comprehensive policy agenda, covering topics from healthcare to education and criminal justice, but it lacks a unified framework. Instead, she presents a series of solutions drawn from successful social democracies in Northern Europe, often without providing in-depth analysis or acknowledging potential criticisms. While this approach may appeal to those already sympathetic to her views, experts with specialized knowledge may find the proposals oversimplified.
One notable exception is Pickett's discussion on Universal Basic Income (UBI), which she has researched extensively alongside colleague Howard Reed. Her proposals for a UK UBI are serious and well-costed, even if they overstate its potential benefits. A more nuanced understanding of the policy's limitations would strengthen her argument.
Ultimately, "The Good Society" concludes with an appeal for greater use of evidence in policymaking and citizen juries, which strikes some as out of touch with current political realities. The book leaves the reader feeling neither more nor less optimistic about the feasibility of Pickett's vision for a fairer, healthier society.
interesting that Kate Pickett's new book "The Good Society" presents a comprehensive policy agenda, but lacks a unified framework, it's like she took all these great ideas from other countries and just... assembled them without thinking about how they'd fit together as a whole 
. But hey, at least she's talking about Universal Basic Income (UBI) which is something we should be discussing more! 
I gotta say, I'm kinda mixed on this one... I get what Kate Pickett is trying to do - reduce inequality and all that jazz. But I also feel like she's being a bit too optimistic about the whole UBI thing 
. Like, how do you explain a UBI to people who are worried about their pension? Or what happens when everyone gets a basic income and nobody really wants to work anymore 
?
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