Jeanne, my wife, sent me (bless her) the link below to a TED talk by Richard Wilkinson on the effects of income inequality in developing countries. It's almost 17 minutes long, but it's worth watching.
TED, founded in 1984, stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design and is a global set of conferences owned by the private nonprofit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading."
Why is it worth watching? It describes a problem that affects many people, including you and me, and helps us understand what's going on. How we respond is another matter and one I will address briefly.
But first let me say a bit about the points Wilkinson makes, in case you don't watch the video (or even if you do). He shows that wealth makes no difference in life expectancy between countries, but it does within countries.His research teach used data from the United Nations and the World Bank.
The factor he delineates as key is how much richer are the richest 20% in a country than the poorest 20%. First, he looks at health and social problems and shows that countries with the least income inequality (i.e. greatest income equality) have the fewest problems.
His research team used the UNICEF index on child well-being, which includes 40 components and found the same trend. (He has helpful charts to illustrate these trends.)
The differences between us matter very much, he says. He shows that people in countries with greater income inequality trust each other less. The rates of mental illness are greater in countries with greater income inequality. I haven't said which countries these are. Unfortunately, the United States and Singapore have the greatest income inequality of the 20 or so countries included. Japan and the Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland) have the least income inequality.
Another factor (no surprise, and possibly the subject of a future blog) is the proportion of people in prison. And, Wilkinson says, this is not driven by crime but by more punitive sentences.
Then he looks at social mobility, which is greater in countries with less income inequality. He says: "If Americans want to live the American dream, they should move to Denmark."
How do countries reach more equality? he asks. It varies. In Sweden, where there is inequality in earned income, higher income is taxed more. Japan, on the other hand, has a more equitable income across the board.
Here in the United States, as you know, income inequality is great and getting greater, and the tax structure doesn't offset that much at all.
Wilkinson also points out that people's greatest stress comes from effects on self-esteem from social standing.
We are social beings, and these trends in our society affect us in different ways. They also affect our neighbors. Our spirituality needs to reflect this understanding. To live faithful lives in the Spirit, we need to recognize our social reality (and that of our neighbors) and strive for greater justice.
If you follow the logic of Wilkinson's research, it's not only justice but our own well-being that calls us to seek greater income equality in our country.
But how? I use the dreaded word "politics" in my title. It's also the title of a chapter in my book. There I write that the word, derived from the Greek word polis, denotes a decision-making body. "Politics," I write, "reflects the workings of a community of people making decisions together to carry out their goals, the kind of life they've set for themselves."
We can try to work with others to make decisions that help create a better, more equitable environment. Doing so will help everyone.
Unfortunately, we have a politics of inequality in our country,one that tends to favor not only the richer 20% but the richest 1%. Helping bridge that gap helps us all.
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