Positive correlation between rising inequality – and just about any societal problem that you could think of



Tuesday, 15. October 2013

Author

Daniel Kestenholz

Organisation

Student of Economics University of Berne

In recent decades, countries of the industrialized world have reached to new levels of wealth and development. But at the same time, income gaps have widened within these societies. Instead of living in the “same boat”, we seem to have divided into classes with the better better-off sailing around on luxury vessels, and the bottom of the society having to face the eye of the storm equipped with nothing but a poorly crafted raft.

Recent scientific research has shown that a number of issues emerge as societies become more unequal. Inequality in this sense refers to differences in income, status, wealth and so on within a society. Figures published in the Human Development Support suggest that the richest fifth of the population in the USA and Switzerland, when compared to the poorest fifth, is 8.5 times better off, or 5.7 times in Switzerlandbetter off, respectively.

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