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Flip to reveal answersWhat is the five-question frame for an equality stimulus?
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All 11 Flashcards — Equality: case studies & synthesis
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Question
What is the five-question frame for an equality stimulus?
Answer
(1) Resources or standing? (2) Opportunity or outcome? (3) Whose intersections are missed? (4) What redistribution + recognition mix, at what levels? (5) What trade-offs?
Question
Why treat equality as 'one connected challenge'?
Answer
Because equity vs equality, global inequality, identity/recognition and policy interlock — a case usually involves several at once, and Paper 3 rewards synthesising them.
Question
In the case studies, most inequalities involved what?
Answer
Both resources and standing — redistribution AND recognition — rather than only one dimension.
Question
What is the optimistic view on achieving equality?
Answer
Rights, law and welfare have narrowed gaps, poverty has fallen, and the variation between similar countries proves inequality is a matter of choices — so far greater equality is achievable.
Question
What is the pessimistic view on achieving equality?
Answer
Global gaps remain vast, wealth concentrates, discrimination persists, globalisation limits redistribution, and trade-offs and vested interests cap policy — so inequality is deeply entrenched.
Question
What is the judged conclusion on achieving equality?
Answer
Inequality is substantially reducible but not eliminable — it depends on the political choices a society makes about redistribution, recognition and inclusion; equality is an ongoing project.
Question
What evidence shows inequality reflects choices, not fate?
Answer
Comparable countries have very different levels of inequality — the variation proves policy choices matter greatly.
Question
How should you handle a case in Paper 3?
Answer
Apply the frame to the stimulus (don't recite memorised facts): analyse resources/standing, opportunity/outcome and intersections, then recommend a mix and synthesise.
Question
Why must an equality recommendation usually be a mix?
Answer
Because most inequalities involve both material and identity roots and both national and international causes, so no single tool or actor suffices.
Question
How do you synthesise an equality case?
Answer
Connect it to the wider challenge — equity vs equality, global inequality, identity/recognition — and weigh trade-offs, landing a judged position.
Question
What is the top-band judgement Paper 3 rewards on equality?
Answer
Realism plus agency: inequality is reducible but not eliminable, and how equal a society is depends substantially on its own political choices.
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Topic 5.3 hub
Equality
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