Virtual launch of new OECD report and high-level roundtable 18 November 2021
16:00-17:30 (CET)

The recovery following the COVID-19 crisis requires policies and reforms that tackle inequalities and promote equal opportunities. However, the implementation of such reforms needs widespread support from the public. To better understand what factors drive public support, the new OECD report Does Inequality Matter? provides a detailed cross-country analysis of what people think of inequality and how this shapes their demand for inequality-reducing policies.

Contributing to over a decade-long series of reports documenting the evolution, causes and consequences of inequality through extensive statistical and policy analysis, this new report focuses on how OECD citizens perceive economic disparities and social mobility, including: Do people care about inequality? Are perceptions disconnected from reality? How divided is public opinion within countries?

The report will be launched during a high-level roundtable where panelists will discuss how people’s perceptions of and concern over inequality can inform policy-making. The event will be open to all, including media, civil society, policy professionals, academics, statisticians, and others interested in people’s perceptions of inequality and their implications for designing successful policies.

To register to attend the event, please click here.

Preliminary agenda

16:00 Opening remarks

16:10 Presentation of the main findings of the report

16:20 Roundtable discussion on “How can people’s perceptions of inequality inform policy-making?” Speakers include:

Ulrik Knudsen, OECD Deputy Secretary-General

Joost Korte, Director General of the European Commission’s DG Employment

Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, Canada (to be confirmed)

Johanna Mollerstrom, Economics Professor, George Mason University

Atje Drexler, Senior Vice President, Inequality, Peace, Global Issues of the Robert Bosch Stiftung foundation

17:30 End of event