This anthology debates the idea of giving all people – no matter which profession or position they have (and whether they have a job or not) – the same pay. Some contributors argue against equal pay for all, some for increased pay equality but not for total pay equality, and some argue for equal pay for all.

Chapter: 1: Background and introduction: why debating equal pay for all?.- Part I: AGAINST EQUAL PAY FOR ALL.-Chapter: 2: Equal pay for all: an idea whose time has not, and will not, come.- Chapter: 3: Universal equal pay wrong-foots the distribution of incomes.- Chapter: 4: More onerous work deserves higher pay.- Chapter: 5: Equal pay for knowledge workers in academia: an unrealistic proposition.- Part II: AGAINST EQUAL PAY FOR ALL BUT FOR EQUAL MINIMUM INCOME FOR ALL.- Chapter: 6: Equal pay: a floor not a ceiling.- Chapter: 7: Limiting insecurity, not opportunity.- Part III: TOWARDS INCREASED PAY EQUALITY.- Chapter: 8: A “middle way” between the free market and full equality: a pay ratio.- Chapter: 9: Closing the gap: the benefits of lowering pay ratios.- Chapter:10: How fair is equal pay? The need for a more balanced perspective.- Chapter: 11: Are there moral limits to wageinequality?.- Chapter:12: Equal pay for a green future.- Part IV: FOR EQUAL PAY FOR ALL.- Chapter: 13: Can a Honduran have what a Norwegian has? Equal pay for all countries: an exploration.- Chapter: 14: Economic equality as a precondition for democracy and social justice.- Chapter:15: Defending equal pay for all against objections from the achievement principle.- Chapter:16: Equal pay as a precondition of justice?.- Chapter:17: Equal pay for all (per hour worked).

This anthology debates the idea of giving all people – no matter which profession or position they have (and whether they have a job or not) – the same pay. Some contributors argue against equal pay for all, some for increased pay equality but not for total pay equality, and some argue for equal pay for all. There is no common conclusion in the book; instead, the book aims to encourage reflection as well as further debate on something that is often taken for granted, namely differentiated pay, by offering a set of various standpoints in the debate, backed-up with various kinds of arguments. Among bases for arguments that are put forward in the book, economy, practicability and ethics belong to the most frequently occurring ones. This book is the first one to be published in the book series Palgrave Debates in Business and Management.

“One of the many merits of Debating Equal Pay for All, edited by Anders Örtenblad, is that it recasts EPP from its traditional role. … Debating Equal Pay for All works as an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with EPP in addition to those who are looking for new perspectives in the just pay debate … .  Overall, it is a balanced and nuanced addition to a debate that tends to lack the aforementioned characteristics.” (Alexander Andersson, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Vol. 24, 2021)“The book offers many different views and perspectives by experts from a wide array of disciplines. It is absolutely worthwhile reading for lawyers, philosophers, economists, social scientists, and policymakers alike.” (Matteo Fornasier, European Journal of Social Security, October 21, 202)

Offers engaging debate surrounding equal pay Includes contributions from a diverse number of experts Comprehensively illustrates the arguments for and against equal pay, while also examining the complexities contained within the debate