Panel to present perspectives on income inequality

Three UWindsor professors will engage with questions surrounding income inequality in a panel discussion Monday, February 9, that organizers have dubbed “The Battle of the Profs.”

Political science professors Jamey Essex and Andrew Richter will join philosopher Jeffrey Noonan to consider the moral, ethical, economic, legal and political implications of concentrated wealth.

Income inequality is not the problem, says Dr. Noonan, but a symptom of the root issue—private and exclusive control over the resources everyone needs to survive and flourish.

“Some have vastly more power than others,” he says, “and they derive this power from controlling natural resources and social institutions and using both to enrich themselves and protect those riches, at the expense of everyone else.”

Dr. Essex says income inequality indicates the presence of other forms of economic, political, and social exclusion in a society.

“In turn, fixing the problem of income inequality means addressing it in a way that recognizes its roots in intensive exploitation of the vulnerable, the marginalized, and the poor, a widespread lack of access to economic opportunity, and unjust limits to democratic participation in governance,” he says.

Dr. Richter agrees that income inequality is an issue that needs to be addressed: “The disagreement is over what are the means to resolve this issue.”

Monday’s discussion is free and open to all, although space is limited. It begins at 7 p.m. in room 1100, Centre for Engineering Innovation. Find more info on the event’s Facebook page.