Governance and Inequality
Inequality is a fundamental challenge to human well-being and a major impediment to achieving the the 2030 Agenda. Governance is a key to address and reduce inequality.
Main content
Course leaders
Lise Rakner, Professor of political science at the University of Bergen.
Ragnhild Louise Muriaas, Professor of political science, UiB.
Course lecturers
Lovise Aalen, Senior Researcher, Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI)
Yasmeen Arif, Professor, Guest researcher at Global Research on Inequality Program (GRIP), UiB
Cornelius Cappelen, Professor of Political Science, University of Bergen
Carl Henrik Knutsen, Professor of Political Science, University of Oslo
Mari Nordbakk, Postdoctoral researcher, Chr. Michelsen Institute
Ingrid Sjursen, Senior Researcher, Chr. Michelsen Institute
Kristine Sævold, Historian, University of Bergen
Vibeke Wang, Senior Researcher, CM
Inequality is a fundamental challenge to human well-being and a major impediment to achieving the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda. Governance, at the local, national, and international levels, is a key to address and reduce inequality.
How can inequality be addressed by various governance measures? What are the key global perspectives on inequality? Are, for instance, democracies better at tackling inequality than dictatorships? Does governance actually matter for inequality? How can governance measures such as quota systems affect gender inequality? What forms of governance protect minority groups?
This interdisciplinary PhD course gives participants a solid starting point for research on governance and inequality and is organized in three parts:
First, we address the relationship between government and inequality where we discuss inequality in a global context and analyse research and data discussing the relationship between regime forms and inequality. Participants will be acquainted with both empirical and theoretical research and research findings addressing the interconnections between forms of government and inequality.
Second, we focus on inequality in terms of gender and assess various mechanisms that have been tested to combat gender inequalities in political, social and economic institutions. Based on empirical research and data, participants will apply insights from the course and debate various “best case” governance measures to specific empirical contexts.
Third, we will address taxation and inequality. In order to reduce global inequality, developing countries must be able to control of their own tax destinies which is also crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Participants will discuss the effects of international and national measures to address tax injustice and how this work involves collective action from national and global governance institutions as well as the private sector and civil society.
The course draws on a wide range of research approaches, especially from economics, political science, and sociology.
Learning outcomes
Students will learn to:
- Study various aspects of inequality linked to finance, regime-form, gender and minority and assess the quality of data on inequality
- Analyse the role of governance as related to the three aspects of inequality
- Approach and assess governance as solutions to inequality challenges (case-based learning)
- Assess and discuss the role and responsibility of key governance actors and institutions at the domestic and international level addressing inequality