The Good Society by Kate Pickett review – the Spirit Level author takes stock

Kate Pickett's latest book, The Good Society, marks a departure from her 2009 publication, The Spirit Level. While the first work argued that inequality was the root cause of most social problems and advocated for a more equal society, Pickett now faces an awkward challenge in applying this principle to the UK.

According to Pickett, if one knows a country's level of inequality, it is possible to predict various negative outcomes such as infant mortality rates, prevalence of mental illness, and levels of homicide or imprisonment. However, when examining the UK since 2010, a different narrative emerges. Inequality has decreased, with the tax system becoming significantly more progressive, yet GDP growth has been stagnant.

Instead of addressing this paradox, Pickett avoids tackling it directly. The Good Society instead presents a range of policy ideas and solutions across various sectors, drawing from successful social democracies in northern Europe. While these suggestions are commendable, the book suffers from a lack of depth and analysis.

As Pickett herself admits, she lacks expertise in each area covered, resulting in an oversimplified compendium of progressive policies without sufficient context or critique. For those already convinced of certain issues, the book is likely to resonate, but for others, it may not provide enough substance to change their views.

One notable exception is Pickett's section on Universal Basic Income (UBI). Her work with Howard Reed has produced detailed blueprints for a UK UBI, although she overstates its potential benefits. While some argue that UBI could solve poverty and inequality, most small-scale studies have failed to demonstrate transformative effects.

Pickett concludes by advocating for the use of evidence in policymaking and citizens' juries. However, this approach seems out of touch with current political realities, leaving the reader less optimistic about the prospects of achieving a more equitable society.

In summary, while The Good Society offers some compelling ideas and proposals, it falls short of its potential due to Pickett's failure to address complex issues and provide nuanced analysis.

I'm kinda confused by this book, you know? Kate Pickett's always been all about reducing inequality being the key to a happy society, but when she looks at the UK's stats, it's like she's seeing something different from what most of us are . Like, we're supposed to believe that if we just make things more equal, everything will magically fix itself? But then you look at how stagnant our economy is and think... wait a minute, this isn't adding up .

And yeah, I get why she's being careful with her words - tackling complex issues like this head-on can be super tough . But still, I wish she'd just take on the hard stuff instead of skirting around it . I mean, we're all tired of hearing about inequality as if it's some kind of silver bullet for our problems . We need some real substance here, not just feel-good policies .

I've read Kate Pickett's new book, The Good Society, and while she makes some great points about inequality being a major factor in social problems, I think she's being a bit too optimistic about the UK's ability to apply her principles.

I mean, we all know that the UK's tax system has become more progressive since 2010, but have you seen the state of our NHS lately? The fact that inequality hasn't necessarily led to better health outcomes is a major concern. And don't even get me started on the stagnant GDP growth... that's just not adding up.

Pickett's lack of expertise in certain areas shows, and it feels like she's just throwing a bunch of progressive policies at the wall to see what sticks. I'm all for trying new things, but we need more nuanced analysis than that. And UBI? Yeah, it sounds great on paper, but let's not forget those small-scale studies have shown mixed results.

The only thing that really stood out to me was her section on citizens' juries... that could be a game-changer if done right. But overall, I feel like The Good Society is missing the depth and complexity we need to make real progress towards a more equitable society.

This book is like trying to put together a puzzle with missing pieces . Kate Pickett's idea of using inequality as the key to solving social problems sounds great, but when she tries it out in practice, it doesn't quite work out . The UK has become more equal since 2010, yet growth is stagnant - what's going on?

I think her section on UBI is really interesting , and I'd love to see more depth on that topic, but overall this book feels like a list of nice-to-haves without the hard work of actually crunching the numbers . It's also weird how she just glosses over the fact that it's not as simple as waving a magic wand and making everything better .

I'm still hopeful for Pickett, she did some cool research on mental health and stuff , but this book feels like it's missing the depth and nuance we need to really tackle these issues . Maybe next time?

I'm not sure I agree with Kate Pickett's take on the UK's situation . I mean, isn't it weird that she's promoting more progressive policies but doesn't actually talk about how they're gonna pay for them or what the expected outcomes are? I've been reading through her book and while some of the ideas are cool, I feel like they're just regurgitated from other social democracies without much analysis on why they'd work here. And don't even get me started on UBI - it's great that she has a blueprint, but isn't it kinda overselling its potential? Sources, please!

omg i'm so underwhelmed by this book i mean kate pickett is like a hero to many of us for her work on income inequality but seriously her new book is just so... watered down she's basically saying hey let's try more progressive policies and that's it no actual analysis or consideration of how they'll actually play out in the real world it's all just feel good vibes without any substance. and don't even get me started on her UBI section - i love the idea but she's being way too optimistic about its benefits and yeah no, u Gib has not solved poverty and inequality for anyone who's actually been affected by it overall i'd say this book is more of a feel good exercise than an actual call to action

I can feel Kate Pickett's frustration and dedication to creating a better society, but I wish she'd take more responsibility for acknowledging the complexities of policy-making . It's like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces – you can suggest ideas, but if you don't fully understand how they fit together, you might not get the picture .

I think it's great that she's advocating for citizens' juries and using evidence in policymaking, though! That way, we can have more informed discussions about what works and what doesn't . Maybe next time, she'll be able to share her own insights from experience?

I'm kinda surprised by Kate Pickett's latest book, The Good Society ... I mean, who doesn't want a more equal society, right? But the thing is, she's always talking about this root cause of social problems being inequality, but when it comes to applying that to the UK, things get pretty murky. It's like, if we know a country's level of inequality, shouldn't we be able to predict how things will go?

And I'm not buying the whole "inequality decreases, yet GDP growth stagnates" thing... sounds like a bunch of numbers that don't add up. What Pickett fails to do is actually crunch those numbers and come up with some solid solutions. Instead, we get this watered-down compendium of progressive policies without any real depth or analysis.

And don't even get me started on Universal Basic Income... I mean, it sounds great in theory, but when you start digging into the research, it's not as revolutionary as Pickett makes it out to be. It's just another way for governments to keep people quiet while they do the real work behind the scenes .

Overall, The Good Society feels like a bunch of ideas that sound good on paper, but need a lot more substance before we can start talking about making them a reality

I'm kinda underwhelmed by Kate Pickett's new book, to be honest . I get what she's trying to do, promoting a more equal society and all that jazz, but her approach just doesn't seem that solid . I mean, we're supposed to believe that decreasing inequality automatically leads to better outcomes? That sounds like a pretty simple equation to me, especially when the UK's GDP growth has been stagnant .

And what really bugs me is that she glosses over all the complexities and potential drawbacks of her proposed policies . I'm not saying her suggestions aren't worth exploring, but we need more than just a surface-level overview to convince us they're the way forward .

I also think it's kinda weird that she's advocating for citizens' juries as a solution when that approach can be really time-consuming and expensive . Not exactly the most practical or feasible option, if you ask me .

I'm so disappointed with this latest book from Kate Pickett . I loved her work on The Spirit Level, but it seems like she's lost sight of the bigger picture here. She's still pushing for a more equal society, which is awesome, but she's not willing to tackle the hard stuff - like how that's actually becoming a reality in the UK! It's crazy how we've seen inequality decrease since 2010 and GDP growth stagnant. What's going on? And don't even get me started on UBI - it's just not that simple . I need more substance, not just feel-good policies without context. Pickett's idea of using evidence in policymaking is cool and all, but isn't that exactly what we're seeing with the current government? It feels like she's missing the mark on this one...

I mean, Kate Pickett is like, "Hey, we should have a more equal society!" And I'm over here thinking, "Dude, have you seen the state of politics lately? It's like trying to get blood from a stone!"

So, she's got all these policy ideas and stuff, but it's like she's just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping some of it sticks. I mean, come on, if we're gonna fix inequality, let's actually talk about the hard stuff!

And don't even get me started on this UBI thing... I mean, I'm all for helping people out, but "transformative effects"? That sounds like something a politician would say to get re-elected.

I guess what really gets my goat is that she's not really addressing the elephant in the room – the fact that politics are super broken and it's hard to make change happen. It's like trying to get a cat to do tricks... ain't gonna happen, buddy!

I'm not sure I agree with Kate Pickett's approach in her new book, The Good Society ...the thing is, she's basically saying that if you know how unequal a country is, it can predict all sorts of bad stuff happening, but then she doesn't really do anything to explain why the UK isn't following that script...it's like she's just accepted that we're stuck in this weird economic limbo where inequality has actually decreased ...I get what she's trying to say about Universal Basic Income (UBI), but I think it's a bit too simplistic and underestimates how hard it would be to implement, especially in the UK ...and let's be real, her idea of using 'citizens' juries' just seems like a fancy way of saying 'we need more participation from voters' without actually changing anything

I'm not sure if Kate Pickett's book is being disingenuous or just plain lazy on the UK's inequality conundrum If we're gonna talk about reducing social problems, shouldn't she be holding up a mirror to our own policies? The fact that GDP growth has been stagnant while income inequality decreases suggests we've got it backwards It's like she's advocating for the wrong horse in this race – let's try to tackle the systemic issues head-on instead of just throwing out feel-good solutions And what's with her lack of expertise in each area? Shouldn't that be a major concern when we're trying to implement big policy changes? It's like she's giving us a pamphlet on how to make lemonade without showing us the sugar and flour

I'm a bit miffed at Kate Pickett's new book The Good Society . I mean, I love her previous work on inequality and all that jazz , but this one just feels like it's dodging the hard questions . Like, yeah, we get it, UK inequality has decreased since 2010... what about the economy? GDP growth has been stagnant for years! It's not exactly a secret that the UK's got some major wealth disparities going on, but Pickett just glosses over it like it's no big deal .

And don't even get me started on UBI . I mean, I love the idea of a safety net and all that, but some people are skeptical about how effective it really is . And what about the logistics? Who's gonna pay for it?! It feels like Pickett just winged this section and hoped for the best .

I wish she'd take a more nuanced approach to policy-making , you know, acknowledge that there are no easy answers and that sometimes things get messy . But I guess that's not gonna change the world... yet .

I'm underwhelmed by this latest book from Kate Pickett. It feels like a watered-down version of her previous work. Instead of tackling the hard questions, she just presents a bunch of progressive policies without any real depth or context. And don't even get me started on UBI - it's great that she's exploring it, but her claims about its benefits are a bit exaggerated if you ask me . Overall, I think this book is more of a feel-good exercise than a genuinely thought-provoking read

I gotta say, I'm kinda disappointed in Kate Pickett's latest book . I mean, the girl's got a point about inequality being bad for society, but does she really just gloss over the fact that it's not as simple as just making everything more equal? The UK's tax system has changed and all, but GDP growth is still stagnant... what's up with that? She knows all this stuff, but instead of digging deeper, she just kinda... waffles on about Universal Basic Income. I get where she's coming from, but it feels like a half-baked solution to me . And honestly, I'm not sure how her idea of using citizens' juries is gonna fly in the current politcal climate . Not that I think it can't work, but it just feels like a cop-out compared to actually getting down into the nitty-gritty of policy. Still, I do appreciate her enthusiasm for making things more equitable . Maybe next time she'll bring the heat

I gotta say, I was really hyped when I saw Kate Pickett's new book coming out but after reading it, I'm like, totally underwhelmed . She's got some solid points about inequality being a major issue, but her solution of just applying the same principles to the UK since 2010 doesn't quite cut it, fam . It's like, she acknowledges the problem but doesn't really tackle it head-on.

I mean, I love that she included more policy ideas and drew from other social democracies in Northern Europe, but at some point, you gotta get into the nitty-gritty of why these solutions won't work or might not be feasible . It's all just a bunch of buzzwords without actual depth.

And don't even get me started on the UBI section . She goes all in on its potential benefits but I've seen some studies that say otherwise, like it's not gonna magically solve poverty and inequality .

Overall, I think The Good Society has some great ideas, but they need more substance to make 'em stick .

I'm really disappointed with Kate Pickett's latest book, The Good Society . I mean, she's got some solid points about inequality being bad for society, but when it comes to actually tackling the issue in the UK, she dodges the tough questions . It's like she's expecting us all to just magically accept that progressive policies will solve everything without any real thought or analysis . And don't even get me started on her Universal Basic Income section - it feels like she's overselling it big time . The book is fine, I guess, but if you're looking for some real substance and nuance, you might be out of luck .

I'm a bit underwhelmed by Kate Pickett's new book "The Good Society". I mean, the idea of tackling inequality is still super important, but I don't think she really takes on the tough questions about how it's all going to play out in practice . In the UK case, it seems like more complex stuff than just progressive tax policies are needed to address these issues. And yeah, not having that depth of expertise shows, imo. I'd love to see more nuance and critical thinking on the table... not sure if this book is going to change anyone's mind

idk what's going on with Kate Pickett's new book . i mean, she's all about reducing inequality and stuff, but when it comes down to actually tackling the UK's progress since 2010, she's just kinda... meh . i get that she can't be an expert in everything, but a bit more depth would've been nice, you know? her UBI ideas are pretty cool tho , but yeah, overall it feels like she's avoiding the hard stuff . and let's be real, we're not exactly living in utopia right now so maybe we need some more nuance than just "oh, citizens' juries will save us" anyway, still a solid effort from Pickett, but i guess you get what you pay for