One main issue in studying global social inequality is:

• A. The assumption that all countries have identical social policies
• B. The universal use of the Gini coefficient in all countries
• C. Differences in how income and wealth are measured across countries
• D. The lack of any data on income distribution worldwide

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the context of the problem, which is about studying global social inequality and the challenges involved in comparing countries.
2. Step 2: Recognize that social inequality is often measured by income and wealth distribution, but these measurements can vary significantly between countries due to different data collection methods and definitions.
3. Step 3: Identify that assuming all countries have identical social policies is incorrect because policies differ widely and affect inequality differently.
4. Step 4: Note that while the Gini coefficient is a common measure of inequality, its universal use is not the main issue; rather, the problem lies in inconsistent data measurement across countries.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the main issue is the differences in how income and wealth are measured across countries, which complicates direct comparisons of social inequality globally.