...assess the reasons for the widening gap between the rich and the poor in the UK. Beth Clarke. One reason for the widening gap between the rich and the poor is that since 1970, the government taxation policies have changed, these policies are more favorable to the wealthy people. This means that households within the higher tax bracket are paying less tax, this in turn then makes the rich people richer meaning the gap between the poor even greater. for example as item 3B shows in 1970 the share of total income taken by the top 1% of earners was only 7.1%this had risen by more than half in 2005 and the share of total income take by the top one percent of income was now 14.3%. A second reason for the widening gap between the rich and the poor in the UK is changes to the labour market, these changes have led to more relatively low paid jobs such as in the tertiary sector. With less people working in the higher paying primary and secondary sectors the gap between the rich and the poor will be widening as more people will begin to work within the substantially lower paying tertiary sector, this will widen the gap between the rich and the poor as it means there will be more people working in lower paid jobs. Item 3B also raises the Marxist Argument that our Capitalist society is the underlying reason as to why there is inequality in our society. It could be argued that Capitalism is to blame for the widening gap between the rich and the poor as Capitalism believes that those...
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...Ideas: * Class segregation * Increase in gap between rich and poor * People are materialistic more than they are humane * Capitalism’s negative impact on society Conventions: * Colour * Clothing People’s Expressions * Symbolism * Layout * Medium Shot Resource Link: http://rwer.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/the-pernicious-impact-of-the-widening-wealth-gap/#more-14874 Visual texts have the power to convey strong messages while still being able to do so in a light hearted manner, keeping us the viewers informed but entertained. The untitled image published in a word press blog on the 21st January 2014 in an article written on the widening of the income gap, discusses segregation of class, widening gap between the rich and the poor as well as giving a negative impression on the capitalistic system through the use of colour, characterisation, symbolism, layout and positioning of the characters and objects. Class segregation One major idea that is presented in the image is that of the class separation between the rich and the poor, and this is specifically done through the clothing of the characters portrayed in the cartoon. The man carrying away all the cash in the wheelbarrow is dressed up in a smart jacket, hat and shoes, whilst the group of people stuck at the edge of the platform all have clothing that look similar to each other. This in effect is an entertaining yet informative approach to identifying the separation of...
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...your own and your family’s life. In many countries including here at home in the United States there is a growing gap between the wealthy and the poor and nowhere is this disparity seen more than in the quality of education received by wealthy and poor students. Not only is there a growing gap here in the United States between its own citizens, but there is a growing gap between wealthy and poor nations as well. The growing gap between the rich and the poor is only going to continue to expand as more and more technological advancements are made by wealthy countries. This means that crime rates are only going to increase along with these advancements. The disparity in education between wealthy and poor students is unbelievable. I have seen the difference in education first hand as I grew up which is why I have chosen to write about the inequality in the quality of education received between rich and poor children. When I was younger I went to an inner city school and compared to the school that I graduated from it was nothing. My elementary school that I went to did not even have a music class and the high school that I graduated from had its own wing designated just for music and band. This is an issue that until No Child Left Behind was not really talked about. In the United States, over the last 25 to 30 years the income gap has steadily increased between the richest Americans and the lower and middle class....
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...Gap between Rich and Poor The two articles, “Yawning rich-poor gap could hobble economy” and “New York’s Gap between Rich and Poor Is Nation’s Widest Census” go hand and hand. One article is very in detailed in explaining how the rich stays rich. It outlines the different levels of income in certain areas. The second article explains how the government wants to improve the welfare system and make more jobs. The government is hoping to improve the gap between the rich and poor. The recent recession plays a big toll on our recent increase in the number of people that is living in poverty. Due to the recession, the article is correct when it says the rich grew richer and the poor remained poor. “In Manhattan, the disparity was especially wide. The wealthiest 20 percent of Manhattanites made nearly 40 times more than the poorest 20 percent -- $351,333, on average, compared with $8,855, a bigger gap than in any other county”. For example, many of the big time business owners (the rich) are not going to fire themselves; they are going to eliminate workers within the company. The business owner is going to keep the salaries and use it to pay themselves. The employees that were working were already getting paid close to minimum wage ($7.00 to $10.00) and are living in poverty, which means they are getting poorer. Furthermore, the gap widens due to income inequality and wage rate determination. Many companies base their salaries on an individual education level and not...
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...“Technological development has a positive rather than a negative impact on society.” Discuss. In the contemporary world, whether or not technological development has a positive rather than a negative impact on society is debatable. Technological development refers to a progress in scientific understanding that produces new equipment and methods. This essay will discuss these impacts which include convenience of long-distance communication, improvement of health and medical treatment and the widening gap between rich and poor. Firstly, convenience of long-distance communication is an important positive impact caused by technological development on society. It is well known that the continuous developments in telecommunications technology and the expansion of the Internet have made the long-distance communication extraordinary convenience and high efficiency. For example, overseas students can use mobile phones and instant messaging software to contact with family and friends who are living in their homeland. Geographical distance is no longer a major hurdle in human relationships. Therefore, technological development has a positive impact in long-distance communication. Furthermore, another positive impact of technological development is the improvement of human health and medical treatment level. For example, the average life span of humans continues to lengthen due to the improvement of the level of clinic medical treatment. Many kinds of illness can be cured nowadays...
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... China’s GDP has increased, implying widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. According to Aljazeera, in 2010 China recorded a very high Gini coefficient of 0.61 (Duggan, “Income inequality on the rise in China”) The Gini coefficient shows income distribution in a country, and hence inequality levels. This means that the inequality in China is very high as the Gini coefficient of one represents total inequality while zero Gini coefficients represents perfect equality. In large cities such as Shanghai, inequality is evidenced by the presence of extremely rich citizens and beggars with plastic cups sitting on the streets. The Chinese government needs to implement a taxation policy that accommodates all its citizens from the richest to the poorest. The problem of Income inequality can be solved by reducing the tax rates for low wage earners and increasing the rates for high income earners (Xiang, “Narrowing Gap between Rich and Poor”). There has been a close correlation between human rights and productivity. Many economic analysts argue that when China was poor there was relative equality in the country. While this argument may be true, human rights depend on the economic structure and cultural structure that surround the people. Economic structure defines the behavioral freedom, whereas cultural structure provides a platform for making the freedom a right of all people (Xiang, “Narrowing Gap between Rich and Poor”). When people’s productivity is low, it is extremely...
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...Rising awareness about the widening gap between rich and poor has sparked social and political issues around the world (Treanor, Oct 13, 2015). The gap between rich and poor has grown larger in last few decades, and the problem is getting worse (Treanor, N.P). The reason why the widening gap between rich and poor is a problem is that the wider gap often lead to greater inequality among people, yet society has not found a way to solve this inequality (Treanor, Oct 13, 2015). To make it easier to demonstrate how income difference results in social inequality, CEOs, for example, who gives workers minimum compensation, work in top floor of high rise office buildings where they can overlook an entire city, whereas some people work more than 40...
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...than that of the poor. It has been increased, compared with 9 times in 2007 and it means that income disparity has been exacerbated proportionately. The report especially highlight that the gap between rich and poor has been growing more quickly than the gap that has widened over the past 12 years. A global gap between rich countries and poor countries is more serious than ever. Erik Reinert, the author of a book titled "How rich countries got rich and why poor countries stay poor?", discusses about this long title itself regarding the issue above. Once again, "How rich countries got rich and why poor countries stay poor?" Reinert is considering about what causes this phenomenon and how can we fix this problem in this book. Orthodox development economists argue that mainstream economics(neo-liberalism) and international free trade can narrow the wage and rich-poor gap between rich countries and poor countries. Reinert criticizes them because there don't exist any exmaples of success in narrowing the gap historically and argues that "harmonious economy" is not a result of internationl free trade and laissez-faire but conscious policies since in contrast to rich countries which are already developed through protectionism, direct subsidies and government intervention so ready for free trade, poor countries are not because of their incompetitive industries. In other words, fair competition which free trade theory says cannot be possible. Rich countries got rich by following the...
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...have the obligation to lessen the economic gap between its rich and poor citizens? The government does have the obligation to lessen the economic gap between rich and poor citizens for many reasons. A couple of the reasons as to why the government can proceed with this action are because it proses a violation to a representative government and it cause social problems. Governments mainly lessen economic gaps through advanced taxation, particularly income taxes, and redistributive welfare programs. The economic gap is a large difference relating to the production, distribution, and use of income wealth. The rich are known for having wealth and for having an abundant supply of resources/funds while the poor are recognized by people with little/no money or different type of ways of support. When the government allows the economic gap to enlarge, it violates the individual’s rights to equality. Absence of a representative government would threaten all human rights because there would be no establishment for equality. This is exactly what will happen if income inequality is to take over. The rich citizens will make it to where the poor’s voice will be unheard. It is not fair to have a government where more money means more power, so in order for the government to protect equality; they must reduce the income gap. The government should learn more towards lessening the economic gap because it creates social and health problems between individuals. A few studies on this particular...
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...the gap between the rich and the poor, but the reformers successfully solved the major problems of the gilded age such as putting an end to child labor, corruption and combating monopolies. During the gilded age children faced risks while working...
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...Inequality between rich and poor Asia is the most populous continent in the world. Asia's total population is about 4.3 billion, accounting for 63% of the world's total population. And the countries, which own the population up to 100 million are almost in Asia. However, the economic development imbalance is appearing in different countries in Asia now. It is very hard to say which country in Asia is developed country and which is developing or backward country. But there is no doubt that Japan is the developed country in Asia in most people’s minds. Although China is one of the largest economy countries in the world, it is still a developing country. And it is a truth that the phenomenon of inequality between rich countries and poor countries is obviously appearing between different countries. This picture shows the daily life of Indian people. And this is the picture of Japan. From these two pictures, we can clearly feel the inequality between rich countries and poor countries in Asia. I’m Xiaoqian and I come from China, which owns the second-largest economy in the world, just after that of the United States, but the GDP is still rising fast. And it is said that China will become the world's largest economic power by 2030. However, we cannot overlook the real phenomenon of the inequality between the rich and poor, which exists in China today. The gap between rich and poor is very huge in China now. Firstly, we can focus on the inequality between different areas...
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...Industrialization after the Civil War After the Civil War, the United States became a much more industrialized society. However, industrialization had both negative and positive effects on American life. While big businesses thrived, the gap between the rich and poor grew larger. Progressive reformers sought to close this gap and bring together the nation. Industrialization was very beneficial to American business owners. Following the civil war, industries transformed into modern powerhouses. Big business owners who seized power in these industries became even bigger. New inventions led to new thriving industries. Iron, for example, was replaced with ultra-strong steel. One main reason why steel was in such demand was due to the expansion of railroads. Andrew Carnegie built the biggest steel business in the world. By 1900, Carnegie Steel earned a whopping $40 million a year (Roark, 547). He believed that big businesses such as this actually improved the overall well being of the nation- rich and poor. In his letter entitled Wealth, Carnegie states, “...the millionaire will be about a trustee for the poor, entrusted for a season with a great part of increased wealth of the community, but administering it for the community far better than it could or would have done for itself...” (Johnson, 54). Another captain of industry during industrialization was John D. Rockefeller. John D. Rockefeller is the founder of the Standard Oil Co. and is said to be the richest...
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...INEQUALITY IN KENYA INTRODUCTION After independence, the few educated Kenyans easily acquired wealth, without competition, and major changes since then has spawned few rich people because this group perfected ways of ensuring that wealth does not leak out, including marrying among themselves. Distribution of benefits of economic growth has been one of Kenya’s biggest challenges in its quest for long term prosperity and stability putting the suitability of the trickle-down economics that Presidents use after coming to power under intense scrutiny. Recent events in Kenya have cast a disturbing light on the depth and complexity of social distress in the country. The conflict arising from the disputed presidential elections has roots in inequality, poverty, poor governance and a host of other issues. However the major underlying issue is clearly the perception of deliberate unfairness and inequality in the distribution of national resources. However it can also be argued that beyond the real biases in resource allocation is the widespread failure of the State due to deliberate policies of retreat compounded by unchecked corruption. Poverty has progressively deepened as the state has reduced its provisioning of social services. This retreat of the state has been coincident with the slow and persistent decline that characterized the country’s economic performance from the 1980’s until the turn of the century. Thus narrowing economic perspectives due to declining economic growth...
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...correlation between economic growth, income distribution and a flourishing society. In his paper on Economic Growth and Income Inequality, Gallo (2002) refers to the theory of the famous Political Economist Adam Smith who states that "no society can be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable." (Gallo, 2002). He further explains that whenever there is a high inequality in income distribution, there is a decline in economic prosperity. This implies that countries should strive towards bringing equality of income among their population to ensure economic growth and the welfare of their nation. Income inequality however, is a fact of life and exists all over the world....
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...Current Event Assignment Cassandra Ekwem White Education 305 Instructor Lunde September 28, 2015 In the article, “Education Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Growing Wider”, Eduardo Porter does a good job discussing the disparity between the social classes. The past movements, such as the Civil Rights Movement, should have closed the gap a great deal when it comes to higher education. Instead, the disparity between lower and upper classes is becoming larger and more pronounced. Mr. Porter discusses how only 5 per cent of 34 to 25 year olds whose parents did not finish high school have a college degree (Porter, 2015). He goes on further to discuss how the socio-economic factors have had a profound effect on the disparities of the children. Research has shown how low-income children are automatically a year behind in both reading and math (Porter, 2015). Even further, it has been shown that even with the best of efforts, nine years down the road, the gap is even wider from one-half to two-thirds. This article goes on to show the disparity in the social classes through living arrangements. Only about half of all low socio-economic children live with both parents, while 7 out of ten are born to teenage mothers. However, for those with college degrees, eighty-three percent are living with both parents (Porter, 2015). It appears that low-income school systems cannot keep tenured school teachers for any length of time. Most of them are novices. The disparities are clearly...
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