Chrystia Freeland’s article
According to Chrystia Freeland, a Member of Parliament for Toronto, Canada, economic inequality is rising at the same pace as technological advancements, not only in Canada but also from a global standpoint (Freeland par. 2). She portrays the rise to power of the extremely wealthy plutocrats, suggesting the causation of this ever-enlarging gap between the rich and poor as globalization and technological advances (Freeland par. 4). The capitalist nature of human beings has resulted in inequality, which is a global issue. In the contemporary world, humanity commands an egoistic relationship directed towards one another all over the world (Firebaugh and Goesling 283). Inequality has developed in different forms such as social, gender, racial, economic, and political inequality. These inequalities have instituted diverse implications for all people across the world.
Social inequality covers diverse facets of humanity, such as race and gender. It has resulted in enormous social problems, not only in the US communities but also in communities in other parts of the world. The implications of the global social inequality extend to the existing gap between people of different colors globally Social divide should be addressed in the context of employment opportunities, social class in terms of income generation, increased crime with inequality in the legal framework and justice systems. Besides, healthcare service delivery for primary health should be addressed when attempting to avoid inequalities in society. From an economic standpoint, in the US, income inequality has been on the rise in the recent past, and is seen to be higher than in any other global society at any given time. As purported by some economists such as Thomas Piketty, inequality levels of income among US citizens, as measured using the Gini coefficient, elicits disparities in all states.
“Super Story” by Friedman
According to Friedman, in his “Super Story” on globalization and global inequality, globalization is regarded as the primary reason for inequality. In actuality, globalization has elicited excruciating implications leading to the elevation of inequality, especially in the developing world (Firebaugh and Goesling 294). It has resulted in an ever-increasing global interdependence in the economic sector due to the expansive volume and diversity of cross-border financial flow, and interchange of goods, services, and investments, and the associated diffusion of new technology. Rather than closing the gap, globalization is seen to fuel the equality divide. This cause of inequalities would be difficult to address because it would require a lot of resources across the world.
“Broken Contract” by George Parker
As stipulated in the “Broken Contract” by George Parker, the reason for the economic gaps between the rich and poor people in the US is the poor performance of the American economy. The engagement in civil and political wars has led to the emergence of other economies such as China, the United Arab Emirates, as well as that of Korea, and Japan. Even with the oncoming rise of these new economies, inequality is evidenced by the fact that the rich are becoming richer and the poor poorer. In the US, for example, the economic gap between the richest one percent of the population and the majority 99% in 2012 was the widest, with their incomes rising by over 20% and 1% income rise for the remaining 99% of the population. The expanding global economic interdependence is characterized by asymmetrical attributes, which create losers and winners with risks such as the prevailing inequalities and opportunities. Thus, the government needs to address the gap between rich and poor people.
Works Cited
Firebaugh, Glenn, and Brian Goesling. “Accounting for the Recent Decline in Global Income Inequality1.” American Journal of Sociology 110.2 (2004): 283-312. Print.
Freeland, Chrystia. Plutocrats vs. Populists. 2013. Web.