Richard G. Wilkinson

Richard G. Wilkinson
Wilkinson in 2005
Born	1943 (age 72–73)
Fields	Social epidemiology Economic inequality
Institutions	University of Nottingham University College London University of York University of Sussex
Alma mater	London School of Economics University of Pennsylvania University of Nottingham
Known for	The Spirit Level

Richard Gerald Wilkinson (born 1943) is a British social epidemiologist, author and advocate. He is Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, having retired in 2008. He is also Honorary Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London^[1] and Visiting Professor at University of York. In 2009, Richard co-founded The Equality Trust. Richard was awarded a 2013 Silver Rose Award from Solidar for championing equality and the 2014 Charles Cully Memorial Medal by the Irish Cancer Society.

He is best known for his book with Kate Pickett The Spirit Level, first published in 2009, which argues that societies with more equal distribution of incomes have better health, fewer social problems such as violence, drug abuse, teenage births, mental illness, obesity, and others, and are more cohesive than ones in which the gap between the rich and poor is greater.

Background

Richard Wilkinson was educated at Leighton Park School and Reading Technical College.^[2] He studied economic history at the London School of Economics. He then earned a Masters at the University of Pennsylvania.^[2] His University of Nottingham Masters of Medical Science thesis was "Socio-economic Factors in Mortality Differentials" (1976).^[3]

Career

Wilkinson's first book, Poverty and Progress was published by Methuen in 1973. He was a research student on a Health Education Council fellowship at the Department of Community Health, University of Nottingham and spent a year on a large-scale computer analysis of the possible causes of different health outcomes and social strata.^[4]

On 16 December 1976, his article entitled 'Dear David Ennals'^[4] was published in New Society; at that time, David Ennals was Secretary of State for Social Services. The article led eventually to the 1980 publication of the Black Report on Inequalities in Health. He was also Senior Research Fellow at the Trafford Centre for Medical Research of the University of Sussex in 2001.^[5]

Wilkinson retired from his post as a professor of social epidemiology at the University of Nottingham in 2008. He was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor. He is also Honorary Professor at University College London. In 2009 Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett founded the Equality Trust, which seeks to explain the benefits of a more equal society and campaigns for greater income equality.^[6]

Publications

Books

• Wilkinson, Richard G. (1973). Poverty and progress: an ecological model of economic development. London: Methuen. ISBN 9780416776003.
• Wilkinson, Richard G. (1986). Class and health: research and longitudinal data. London New York: Tavistock Publications. ISBN 9780422603607.
• Wilkinson, Richard G.; Quick, Allison (1991). Income and health. London: Socialist Health Association. ISBN 9780900687174.

Introduction Chapter 1: The evidence Chapter 2: Inequalities in health Chapter 3: How income affects health Chapter 4: Public health policies for the future Chapter 5: Reforming social security Chapter 6: Reforming taxation Endnote Associated conference, November 1992

• Wilkinson, Richard G. (1994). Unfair shares: the effects of widening income differences on the welfare of the young. Ilford: Barnardos. ISBN 9780902046160.
• Wilkinson, Richard G.; Blane, David; Brunner, Eric (1996). Health and social organization: towards a health policy for the twenty-first century. London New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415130707.
• Wilkinson, Richard (1996). Unhealthy societies: the afflictions of inequality. London New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415092357.
• Wilkinson, Richard G.; Kawachi, Ichirō; Kennedy, Bruce P. (1999). The society and population health reader (volume 1). New York: New Press Distributed by W.W. Norton. ISBN 9781565845268.
• Wilkinson, Richard G.; Marmot, Michael (2006) [1999]. Social determinants of health (2nd ed.). Oxford New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198565895.
• Wilkinson, Richard G. (2001). Mind the gap: hierarchies, health and human evolution. Darwinism Today. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300089530.
• Wilkinson, Richard G.; Marmot, Michael (2003). The solid facts. Copenhagen: World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe. ISBN 9780585492520.
• Wilkinson, Richard G. (2005). The impact of inequality: how to make sick societies healthier. London: Routledge. ISBN 9780415372695.
• Wilkinson, Richard G.; Pickett, Kate E. (2008). Health and inequality: Major themes in health and social welfare. Abingdon, Oxon, UK New York, New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415443135. Four volume set.

Contents:

volume 1. Health inequalities: the evidence

volume 2. Health inequalities: causes and pathways

volume 3. Health inequalities : interventions and evaluations

volume 4. The political, social and biological ecology of health

• Wilkinson, Richard G.; Pickett, Kate E. (2009). The spirit level: why more equal societies almost always do better. London: Allen Lane. ISBN 9781846140396.
  • Adapted as the 2016 documentary film The Divide. Wilkinson and Picket each appear as commentators.

Articles and papers

• Wilkinson, Richard G. (1984). Health, economic structure and social indicators. London: Centre for Economic Policy Research. OCLC 12722221. Discussion paper 17.
• Wilkinson, Richard G.; Pickett, Kate E. (24 November 2007). "Child wellbeing and income inequality in rich societies: ecological cross sectional study". British Medical Journal. BMJ. 335 (7629): 1080. doi:10.1136/bmj.39377.580162.55. PMID 18024483.

Other

• Further journal articles listed and some downloadable at Scientific Commons
• Some further titles are listed here.
• 2008 Eve Saville Memorial Lecture: "Inequality: The obstacle between us", at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London School of Law.
• Appearance in 2011 documentary, "Zeitgeist: Moving Forward" on YouTube

Personal

Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, the authors of The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better, are a couple.^[7][8]

Notes and references

1. "Iris Message". Iris.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
2. Dustjacket of his book Poverty and Progress (1973) gives a brief career summary.
3. Thesis is listed in the catalogue of the library of the University of Nottingham.
4. Wilkinson, Richard (16 December 1976), "Dear David Ennals", New Society
5. Richard G. Wilkinson (2001-07-11). "Mind the Gap - Wilkinson, Richard G. - Yale University Press". Yalepress.yale.edu. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
6. Archived 27 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
7. "BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, The Spirit Level: the theory of everything?". Bbc.co.uk. 2010-10-17. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
8. "Analysis : The Spirit Level : The Theory of Everything?" (TXT). News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-19.

External links

• The Equality Trust
• Wilkinson's contributions at The Guardian
• BBC article on the Equality Trust
• TED 2011 video: How economic inequality harms societies (16:54)
• Wilkinson's talks for the Socialist Health Association