Inequality endangers the fabric of our societies, distorts the functioning of democracy, and derails the globalization process. Yet, it has only recently been recognized as a problem worth examining. Why has this issue been neglected for so long? In Inequality: A Short History , Michele Alacevich and Anna Soci discuss the emergence of the inequality question in the twentieth century and explain how it is related to current issues such as globalization and the survival of democracy. The authors also discuss trends and the future of inequality. Inequality is a pressing issue that not only affects living standards, but is also inextricably linked to the way our democracies work. Great, readable, and intellectually rich short history of inequality by Michele Alacevich and Anna Soci.―Branko Milanovic, author of The Haves and the Have-Nots: A Brief and Idiosyncratic History of Global Inequality “To sum up, I would like to emphasize that it is exciting and appealing to read and study this small book. It is a smart and readable introduction to the issue of inequality from an economic and historic perspective and a good starting point for further in-depth analyses of the consequences of inequality as well as its policy implications.”—Wilfried Altzinger, associate professor of economics and deputy head of the Institute of Macroeconomics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Inequality endangers the fabric of our societies and distorts the functioning of democracy. While it has always been a concern, it has recently become a central question in economics and a potent political issue. Why was it neglected for so long, and why is it now at the forefront of public debate? In Inequality: A Short History , the authors discuss the emergence of the question of economic inequality in the twenty-first century and explain how it is related to globalization and the survival of democracy. They also discuss trends and the future of inequality in both the developed and the developing worlds. Inequality is a pressing issue that not only affects living standards, but is also inextricably linked to the way our democracies work. Michele Alacevich is associate professor of economic history at the University of Bologna. He is a former director of global studies at Loyola University Maryland and a research fellow at Harvard University, Columbia University, the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET), and the World Bank. Anna Soci is professor of economics at the University of Bologna. The author of scholarly articles, books, and textbooks in macroeconomics and international economics, she is a life-member of Clare Hall College, University of Cambridge, and was recently research fellow of the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America at Columbia University, and Jemolo Fellow at the Nuffield College, University of Oxford. Her current research focuses on economics and politics.