Economic inequality|contrasting conceptions, discourses and studies of economic inequalities

Having been largely ignored for decades, the issues of economic and social inequalitieshave regained mainstream political attention in the Western capitalist countries in recentyears. The inequality and austerity trends of recent decades pose significant challengesand implications for the prevailing models of liberal and electoral democracy, thestructures and distribution of power, and in turn for understanding the role and practicesof professional journalism and news media. Clearly, different conceptualizations,definitions, and framings of inequality and socioeconomic justice are central to theconduct and outcomes of such struggles over the future shape of the social order. Thisarticle begins by introducing the topic and competing conceptualizations of inequality.The second section, Modern Political and Economic Discourses and Inequality: Liberaland Others, provides a brief, if selective, overall review of how inequality matters havebeen addressed and understood in modern political economy as well as the more recentfield of economics. The third section, Communication Studies and Inequalities: An InitialReview, outlines the results of a brief but systematic review of how socioeconomicinequalities are addressed in the relevant academic disciplines. The final sectioncomprises some brief conclusions and implications.