The higher the inequality, the more likely we are to move away from democracy

In every political system, the rich tend to hold more power - but the relationship between politics, economics and inequality is complex. To better understand these critical issues, we must look to Big Data

I am asked this question very often: why should we care about inequality? There are three reasons.

First, every inequality in the treatment or position of individuals - including inequality in income and wealth - requires understanding and justification, because we are all fundamentally the same. That does not mean we should all have the same incomes because our effort and luck may vary, but we need to think about the reasons for any and every inequality.

Eight centuries of England/UK inequality and growth (based on social tables (Broadberry et al, King, Massie etc) and HH surveys) pic.twitter.com/eSAerkxNuI

Related: The Inequality Project: the Guardian's in-depth look at our unequal world