Inequality- Danny Dorling


A great source of lectures is the LSE website, where you can download the podcasts for free. One such talk was by Danny Dorling on the causes of different types of inequality. The key points were as follows:

How to improve it
  • Improved equality increases life expectancy
    • fair pay allows the purchase of healthier food
    • improved quality of life reduces the rate of suicide and stress related diseases
  • Losing a war has the potential to restore equality
    • When Japan lost the war against the USA, America redistributed the aristocracy land to the people.
      • Today, the life expectancy is the highest in the world, and steadily rising
  • In equal countries, there is a more representative democracy
    • In the USA, Trump's wall was only accepted because the media only provided 'dumbed down' politics
  • The UK is closing the gap fastest in Europe
    • The 1% are taking less and less
      • However, Gordon Brown put up wealth tax in 2010 which resulted in the richest of the rich creating offshore shell companies (Paradise Papers)
        • Does this mean the gap is actually closing, or is the money just leaving the system?
Causes
  • UK inequality is exacerbated by the indirect tax system
  • As equality increases, social mobility also increases
    • The 'jump' isn't quite so big
  • The UK schooling system increases inequality
    • You do what you can to get the best grades 
      • usually requiring money (tutors etc)
        • economic inequality
      • This results in a positive feedback cycle, where it is hard to move up
    • 'Top' universities have the capability to cherry pick private school children
      • they are trained to pass entrance exams and so on
    • Old (and some new) tests dont educate in the long term
      • GCSE maths didn't teach you long term
        • The dumbing down effect has implications in the long term- look at Trumps Wall, and UKIPs £350 million Brexit deal
Consequences
  • Unequal countries eat more meat
    • Comfort eating
    • Advertising makes it appear as the food of the wealthy
  • Water consumption diversifies
    • Drought fines can be paid by the rich
  • Waste increases
    • Consume to 'prove' wealth
  • Carbon footprint increases
    • In Germany the 1% travel by train, but in the USA, it's by plane
      • A status symbol to reassure their position
  • Refugee acceptance decreases
    • Thousands more refugees were taken in by Germany than by the UK
      • Far right voting increases
Solutions
  • Increase basic income
    • only the top 9-10% would be brought closer
  • Leave the EU in order to make the bankers less greedy
    • Previously, London banks paid Europeans huge amount to locate there
      • Now, with Brexit, London wages are falling to encourage them back into the union
    • The pound collapsing primarily affects the rich, not the poor
In conclusion, solving inequality is easier than climate change.

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