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Territories of Inequality
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15 July 2025

The rise of income and wealth inequality and the possibilities of redistribution animate contemporary social and political debates, but much of the scholarship on the issue is limited to the individual level. There is a spatial dimension to the redistribution of income, however, and in federations, this is especially important.
In Territories of Inequality leading political scientists propose a territorial approach to inequality and redistribution, informed by political economy, political geography, and a comparative analysis of federalism and multilevel governance. Chapters explore the relationship between interpersonal and interregional redistribution, the role of progressive or regressive governing coalitions, and the foundations of individual preferences for or aversions to interregional redistribution. They consider different federations and quasi-federations and emphasize the unique situation of Indigenous Peoples, who navigate a complex relationship with institutions shaped by colonialism.
Examining how decentralization and federalism influence policy outcomes and public preferences, Territories of Inequality provides new ways to approach the question of redistribution.
“Although the topics explored here – geography, federalism, and redistribution – are as old as political science itself, this stellar volume focuses on their interaction, thus helping us make sense of the present political moment.” Asya Magazinnik, Hertie School
“The essays in this collection add nuance and context to otherwise straightforward and perhaps dogmatic assumptions about political actors and voters as narrow utility maximizers in the design of and support for fiscal federal arrangements. Recommended.” Choice
Olivier Jacques is assistant professor in the Department of Health Management, Evaluation and Policy at l’Université de Montréal.
Alain Noël is professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science at l’Université de Montréal.