15 October 2010
Andrew Dilnot, the Principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford spoke to U6 and L6 economists today on the topic of ‘Inequality in the UK’. He outlined very effectively the ignorance surrounding the degree of inequality within the UK and the fiscal implications of seeking to diminish these inequalities. He made it clear to the assembled audience that ‘solving’ an issue such as inequality was impossible; redistribution policy simply has to grapple with inherent trade offs. Another theme of the talk was that redistribution doesn’t always yield direct economic benefits; sometimes it simply amounts to a moral choice and ‘doing the right thing’.