The Spirit Level
Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better
by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett
This lecture was curios and somehow has confirm my personal idea that the income inequality effects our daily life (and as the tables in the PPP showed what was directly affected like: our weight, health and the most important of all our life length).
Economic growth has done as much as it can to improve material conditions in the developed countries, but in some cases appears to be damaging our health (as the example in the graphics regarding USA)
Every body of us tried to be rich enough. But is this the right way to follow?
I mean the market economy has showed until now to be the right one to follow, however Inequality (and here I refer myself to the Inequality economic distribution) causes shorter, unhealthier and unhappier lives; it increases the rate of teenage pregnancy, violence, obesity, imprisonment and addiction; it destroys relationships between individuals born in the same society but into different classes!
So If our Albanian government were concentrate on making its citizens' incomes as equal as those of people in Japan and Scandinavian countries, we could each have seven extra weeks holiday a year, we would be thinner, we would each live a year or so longer, and we would trust each other more.
So, I think that every one of us should think in an optimistic way, with a transformative, rather than revolutionary, programme for making our sick societies healthier. A society in which all citizens can feel free to look each other in the eye and to feel themselvess more valued than at the present.
Br,
Idi SULO
A society consists of individuals who give shape to it.If majority of people in a society aren't happy with something and want to change it,for example, distribution of income,they can change it somehow.It may be hurty,difficult,may take time,but it can be done sooner or later.Inequal income distribution is a principal problem in most part of the world and it is always on agenda,but there is no any significant improvement in any country even when persons in power change by public movements! why? the answer is very simple: in reality, majority of people earn more somehow than what statistics say and they get used living in this way.In other words, income distribution is regulated in a positive way by using some methods which are very well known by all the people and so that there is no any serious and massive reaction against this socio-economic problem unless those regulated balances are changed in favor of some groups considerably.
YanıtlaSilIn my opinion, each society determines its own culture,social behaviours, ethic rules and people live accordingly.In other words,people have a life style which is accepted and deserved by majority of persons in that society.
Hi Idi
YanıtlaSilIn my opinion you have expained very good with clear ideas, I also agree with you when you expain that the income inequality effects our daily life, and also our society deserve to be more developed economicly.