Internationally, globalization and increased economic integration has impacted quality of life and individual well-being. Attempts to evaluate the impact on income dispersion from this process have been extremely controversial. This key volume is the first real attempt to build up indices and a theoretical framework in order to deal with inequality of opportunity, and to enable social and political institutions to monitor increasing disparities in well-being and social exclusion. It thoroughly examines the possible relationships between the recent acceleration in economic integration and inequality among persons and countries and will enable social and political institutions to monitor increasing disparities in well-being and social exclusion.The contributions to this volume cover various subfields of economics, and examine both the negative and positive spillover effects of economic integration on individuals, social groups and nations. Since the impact of globalization on the most deprived people is multidimensional in nature, the theoretical framework is extended to a multivariate context where several individual characteristics are simultaneously considered.This original volume covers many important topics and features an impressive array of respected contributors. As such, it is sure to be an invaluable resource for postgraduates and professionals in the fields of political economy and economics.