Global Inequality Reaches Levels Not Seen in Nearly 200 Years

Global Inequality Reaches Levels Not Seen in Nearly 200 Years by Deirdre Fulton, CommonDreams

Global income inequality has returned to levels recorded in the 1820s—when the Industrial Revolution produced sizable wealth gaps between the rich and poor—according to a new report released Thursday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The sweeping study, "How Was Life? Global Well-Being Since 1820," uses historical data from eight world regions to present for the first time "systematic evidence" of trends in areas such as health, education, inequality, the environment, and personal security over the past 200 years.

The report reveals that great strides have been made in some areas such as literacy, life expectancy, and gender...