Since the late 1970s, the gap between the rich and poor in Britain has widened considerably. It is now recognised that the growth of inequality in the United Kingdom has been faster than that of any comparable industrial country. This is obviously an important issue, and one which after a long period of neglect is attracting increasing attention.

Economists and others concerned with social problems linked with rising inequality are making efforts to understand the factors which have contributed to the current situation.

Based on the results of the first major research programme in this area since the Royal Commission of the 1970s, this book examines income and wealth distribution in the United Kingdom over the last two decades. The country's leading specialists in the area tackle the problem from a wide variety of perspectives.

Contributions include: the analysis of income distribution; the effects of greater female participation in the labour force; social security reform; and geographical variation at the national and local scale. Understanding the complexity of these, and other, factors is crucial to designing policies which can begin to cope with income inequalities.