The Level: Why a More Equal Society Is Better for Everyone

A study of how relationships in a society are built on material foundations. The result of 30 years of research, *The Level* provides evidence that almost everything—from life expectancy to mental illness, from violence to illiteracy—is determined not by a society's wealth, but by its equality. Furthermore, societies with a wide gap between rich and poor are bad for everyone, including the most affluent. But we can also find positive solutions and move toward a happier, more just future. Renowned researchers Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett expose the contradictions between material success and social failure in the developed world, but they don't limit themselves to saying what's wrong. They show the way to a new political configuration: from self-centered consumerism to a more sustainable and caring society. Essential, thought-provoking, and inspiring, *The Level* is a book that proposes a new way of thinking about ourselves and our communities, changing the way we see the world.