Vortrag von Michael Förster am Donnerstag, 4.3.2025, 18.00–19.30 Uhr; 1090 Wien, Berggasse 17, Europäisches Zentrum für Wohlfahrtspolitik und Sozialforschung (Konferenzraum, 2. Stock)

Kurzbiographie – Michael Förster:

Michael Förster is a senior researcher and policy analyst in the fields of economic inequality
and social policy. He has lead OECD work in this area as the Head of Unit Inequalities for more
than ten years, resulting in a series of flagship publications: “Growing Unequal?” (2008),
„Divided We Stand: Why Inequality keeps rising” (2011), „In It Together – Why Less Inequality
Benefits All” (2015), “A Broken Social Elevator? How to Promote Social Mobility“ (2018),
„Under Pressure: The Squeezed Middle Class (2019), and „Does Inequality Matter? How people
perceive economic disparities and social mobility“ (2021). Since 2022, he has been lecturing as
a guest professor at the Faculty of Sociology of the University of Antwerp, and teaching M.A.
students in Public Policy and European Affairs at SciencesPo.

Abstract

This presentation will argue that peoples’ concerns and perceptions about inequality
and redistribution are not disconnected from reality. It would therefore be misplaced to focus
on “misperceptions” in public policy debate as is often the case. In the current situation of
polycrisis, gathering widespread public support is key to implement reforms that tackle
economic inequality and promote equal opportunity. Understanding how people form their
perceptions and opinions about inequality and redistribution can help understand the public
support for such reforms. Most people are concerned about inequality, and this concern has
risen in the last three decades with a peak around the Great Recession and a subsequent
flattening out, in line with the increase in income inequality measured by conventional
statistical indicators. But “concerns” and “perceptions” about inequality are not the same thing.
One may perceive high inequality but accept it as a matter of life. That said, the level of
perceived disparities has grown substantially too, especially during the 1990s. However,
people actually partially adapted their preferences to the higher level of inequality.