Meet The Researchers 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Meet the brightest minds investigating child health and income inequalities. This is your chance to hear about the latest work and ask questions to leading researchers, public health government officials, and community leaders. Refreshments will be served.
Book Signing with Authors 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Pick up your copy of "The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better" and have it signed by the authors, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.
The Spirit Level Book Discussion 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
In rich societies, the poor have shorter lives and suffer more from almost every social problem. The Spirit Level, based on thirty years of research, takes this truth a step further. One common factor links the healthiest and happiest societies: the degree of equality among their members. Income inequality refers to the gap between the very rich and the very poor. More unequal societies, or with larger income inequality, are bad for everyone within them - the rich and middle class as well as the poor. The Spirit Level compiles information that exposes stark differences among the nations of the first world, including Canada. Almost every modern social problem - poor health, violence, lack of community life, teen pregnancy, mental illness, obesity, drug use, high school dropout, playground bullying - is more likely to occur in a less-equal society. Renowned researchers Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett lay bare the contradictions between material success and social failure in the developed world. Wilkinson and Pickett eloquently make the case that the widening income inequality gap is the most powerful indicator of a functioning and healthy society. But they do not merely tell us what's wrong. They offer a way toward a new political outlook, shifting from self-interested consumerism to a friendlier, more sustainable society. The discussion will be moderated by Jennifer McGrath.
INRICH
The International Network for Research on Inequalities in Child Health (INRICH) aims to share and advance knowledge and research into inequalities in child health and well-being, in child health and social equity and child policy by establishing a scientific community in which research priorities can be identified, collaborative projects established and new researchers encouraged. Our aim is to inform policy that will promote social equity in child health.