Inequality in America: Race, Poverty, and Fulfilling Democracy's Promise

Why does inequality have such a hold on American society and public policy? And what can we, as citizens, do about it? Inequality in America takes an in-depth look at individual-level and systemic inequality, focusing in particular on race, poverty, and gender, across a wide range of issues from housing and education to crime, employment and health. Caliendo explores how individual beliefs and attitudes can affect public opinion and lawmakers’ policy solutions and how the systemic barriers to advancement that result from these policies can then contribute to individual perceptions—creating a cycle of disadvantage and advantage that can be difficult to break, though not impossible.

Feature boxes throughout the book highlight key public figures who have worked to combat inequality and offer suggestions for individual action. Concise and accessible, Inequality in America paves the way for students to think critically about the effects of the attitudes, behaviors and structures of inequality.

"Inequality in America introduces students to otherwise somewhat closed scholarly debates on inequality and its pertinent issues. The richly textured coverage of vital public policy questions related to inequality and its data-driven foundation are the strengths of the book.”
—James Taylor, University of San Francisco

"Inequality in America is an important addition to an introductory course in American government. It is clearly written and accessible to students, while thoughtfully addressing the complex institutionalization of inequality, and its effects, in the United States. Though there are texts that address racial politics more generally, this book is unique in its specific focus on the systemic nature of inequality and its focus on the intersections of race, poverty, and gender."
—Catherine Paden, Simmons College

Stephen Maynard Caliendo is professor of political science at North Central College. He is co-author of Race Appeal: How Candidates Invoke Race in U.S. Political Campaigns, which won the APSA Ralph J. Bunche award in 2012, and coeditor of The Routledge Companion to Race and Ethnicity. He is also co-director of The Project on Race in Political Communication (RaceProject.org) since 2001.