Overview

Pepin-Neff coins the term ‘Tolerable Inequality’ to examine the ways in which politicians and political actors use the policy process as a tool to make inequality acceptable as a way of keeping power and avoiding penalties. Power is built on the illusion of differences. The public policy process is used to reinforce the illusions of inferiority and superiority that help to keep power in the hands of the powerful. Tolerable Inequality reinforces these differences by diverting attention away from issues that would give marginalized people power, reducing differences between public expectations and reality, and policy reactions that fortify existing social status. The three tactics of Tolerable Inequality include: focused inattention and inaction, deviation harmonization of differences between expectations and perceived reality, and equality governance, where equality is distributed in the policy process relative to conditional compliance and comparative identity. The book explores this concept within the context of LGBTQ+ policy and presents frameworks that allow the public to engage in the policy process in ways that highlight the role of expected political penalties in order to reclaim policymaking in the public interest. A comprehensive text for researchers and students in LGBTQ studies, American Studies, Policy Studies, and Legislative Studies.

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9781032786575

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Reviews

""At the core of Dr. Pepin-Neff’s ambitious and norm-challenging book lies a fundamental question: why do we accept inequality? Developing an innovative theoretical framework and presenting a clever policy and political analysis, Dr. Pepin-Neff proposes the fascinating concept of tolerable inequality. They convincingly explain how incumbent policy actors use policy processes to make inequality acceptable in order to maintain existing power dynamics. In a richly researched book, Dr. Pepin-Neff provides numerous examples showing how tolerance for inequality has negatively affected the LGBTQ+ community. But Dr Pepin-Neff does not stop at exposing the mechanisms that reproduce inequality. They also propose policy solutions based on political penalties that can successfully contrast the perpetuation of inequality. In the end, the reader comes away with the conviction that the tolerance for inequality should be replaced with a renewed commitment to dismantling inequality – and with the knowledge about the policy tools that make such dismantling a little more achievable. The book is a fundamental reading for anyone interested in policymaking, inequality, and LGBTQ+ rights."" Gabriele Magni (he/him), Associate Professor of Political Science, Founding Director of the LGBTQ+ Politics Research Initiative

Author Information

Chris Pepin-Neff (they/them) is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Sydney. Their research interests include agenda-setting, emotions and public policy, and LGBTQ+ politics.

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