Is Inequality a Political Choice?

Written on February 5th, 2017 in politics Comments Off

Published on Institute for New Economic Thinking, Feb 3, 2017.

Research by INET-affiliated scholars shows the US lags far behind its peers on inclusive growth, suggesting inequality is not an inevitable consequence of globalization and technology.

The fact that most of the fruits of US economic growth have not been shared with the lower-middle and working class is accepted across the political spectrum in America. But that inequality is often treated as a somehow inevitable consequence of globalization and technological change … //

… The differences we have identified across countries and time imply that increased globalization and technological change cannot be blamed as sole causes for rising inequality. Those forces work across borders and should affect all countries. The fact that other developed countries have been able to share the benefits of these market forces suggests that policy choices on the national level play a central role for boosting living standards. Policies can make a difference not just in growth levels, but also in who gets the benefits of that growth.

(full text).

Links:

on Voltairenet.org, by Thierry Meyssan:

  • The Smiles of Mrs. May, Feb 3, 2017: Since the induction of Donald Trump has opened a new period in international relations, each state must now try to reposition itself. However, the British government, which has been forced by referendum to accept Brexit, is seeking to reconcile the interests of the ruling class with those of its people. In an attempt to do so, Prime Minister Theresa May is exploring contradictory options;
  • auch auf deutsch: Die vielen Lächeln von Frau May, 3. Feb 2017: Da der Amtsantritt von Donald Trump eine neue Zeit in den internationalen Beziehungen einleitet, versucht sich jeder Staat neu zu positionieren. Die britische Regierung, die durch das Referendum zum Brexit gezwungen wurde, versucht jedoch die Interessen der herrschenden Klasse mit jenen ihres Volkes in Einklang zu bringen. Um das zu machen, forscht Premier-Ministerin Theresa May widersprüchliche Möglichkeiten aus.
  • L’original en français: Les sourires de Madame May, le 31 janv 2017: Alors que l’intronisation de Donald Trump ouvre une nouvelle période dans les relations internationales, chaque Etat tente de se repositionner. Ainsi le gouvernement britannique, qui s’est vu imposer le Brexit par référendum, cherche à concilier les intérêts de sa classe dirigeante avec ceux de son peuple. Pour ce faire, la Première ministre Theresa May explore des options contradictoires;

No Gods, No Masters, Live the Golden Rule, on Dissident Voice, by John Andrews, Feb 2, 2017: deep inside anyone who’s capable of thinking for themself beats the heart of an anarchist. Robb Johnson, arguably the greatest political songwriter working today, wrote a line that goes Each child born, is born an anarchist. Quite so.
Anarchism is one of the many words that’s routinely misused and abused by the mainstream media. If asked what an anarchist is, most people would reflect this misinformation by replying with words suggesting some sort of violent terrorist. This is the image that’s been carefully crafted, polished and maintained by the media. Even highly educated people, who really should know better, routinely misuse the word “anarchy” to mean chaos and disorder. It is, of course, nothing of the kind. Derived from the Greek word anarkhos, meaning “without chiefs”1, anarchism could reasonably be defined as meaning a society without leaders. It does not deny the need for society, it denies the need for leaders …;

Le Pentagone a payé des millions pour produire de fausses vidéos djihadistes, dans RTSinfo, le 3 oct 2016: une entreprise britannique de relations publiques a touché plus de 500 millions de dollars pour mener un programme de propagande sur l’Irak, révèle une enquête journalistique. Des fausses vidéos djihadistes ont été produites;

… and this:

Comments are closed.