Caliendo publishes book on state of racial, economic inequality in U.S.

Stephen Maynard Caliendo, North Central College professor of political science, has published a new book, titled “Inequality in America: Race, Poverty, and Fulfilling Democracy’s Promise,” by Westview Press.

“Inequality in America” offers an overview of the current state of racial and economic inequality in the United States. Designed for a first-year undergraduate audience, Caliendo addresses each primary element of the cycle of advantage and disadvantage so readers have a fuller understanding of the persistence of poverty and its relationship to race, ethnicity and gender.

More than a dozen North Central College undergraduate students were involved in the project and instrumental at each stage. Some read drafts and offered feedback, while others helped find sources and organize chapters. The book is much stronger as a result of their work, says Caliendo.

Through chapters focusing on income and wealth, education, housing, employment and crime, health, gender and affirmative action, Caliendo situates the issues in the context of representation in a democracy. He relied on research by economists, critical race and gender scholars, and sociologists but offers a political science lens and suggests what readers might do to move the country toward more equality in these areas.

Caliendo joined North Central’s faculty in 2005 and was named a Ruge Fellow in 2013. He earned his B.A. from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Purdue University.