Rich Country, Poor Country

The economic divide continues to expand.

BY JOSHUA E. KEATING | SEPT/OCT 2011

The split between rich and poor is yawning ever wider -- but it's poor countries, not just people, that are really falling behind. Branko Milanovic, a World Bank economist, recently put together data showing that between 1820 and 2002, global GDP per capita increased by more than 10 times -- but so did global inequality. As shown by the Gini coefficient, the most commonly used metric, inequality increased steadily throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. It plateaued after the 1950s, but inequality between countries -- in particular between the developed West and what came to be known as the Third World -- exploded throughout the 20th century and is now a broad gap. Where should we expect this rich country-poor country split to have the most effect? On migration patterns, Milanovic says, because "inequality is now determined more by where you live than the class you belong to." The best way to change your lot in life, it seems, is to move.

Anna Zieminski, Spencer Platt, Jin Lee via Getty Images

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Joshua E. Keating is an associate editor at Foreign Policy.

BLUE13326

6:07 PM ET

August 15, 2011

Well, since we tried so many

Well, since we tried so many ways and poured so much money into trying to lift up poor countries, the only way to help this issue is to make the rich countries poorer.

To this end, let's create some great global threat, something that is so complex that it will be nearly impossible to porperly assess, and use that to extract wealth from rich countries. Like, say, the climate, just as an example, ofc., but I bet the world bank could get behind this....

 

TCH

9:47 AM ET

August 16, 2011

?

While I am no fan of inequality what you are speaking of would be horrific and unethical.

 

ASHLIKESNOW

12:09 AM ET

August 26, 2011

Good Idea.

Making the poor countries richer clearly isn't working well. Look at Afghanistan where America attempted military intervention and force feeding billions of dollars. And than look at Somalia where America poured millions without direct intervention. Neither strategy worked.

Making rich countries poorer might actually be a faster, more efficient way to close the gap between the wealthy and the poor.

Though I don't quiet get what you mean by "Something complex to extract wealth from the rich."

Perhaps, a better way would be to have a few nukes lobbed at the major centers of wealth in the world.
That will most definitely annihilate the ever widening chasm between the rich and the poor.

 

CHRIS_HHH

5:30 AM ET

August 16, 2011

.....

according to this TED talk - http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html - it's not widening?? he actually says "there's no gap between rich and poor, this is a myth." who's correct?

 

ROMAN GIL

8:23 PM ET

September 3, 2011

America Has The Greatest Income Inequality Among First World

The GINI index ranks America with Nigeria and other Third World Countries. The bottom 50% of the population owns just 2.5% of national assets. 51% of American households are too poor to pay income taxes. Only 10% of American households earn $136,000 annually. The top 1% income group receives over 36% of national income and owns over 90% of national assets.

Britain is second among "First World" countries, but they have social benefits that alleviate poverty and permanent unemployment. America is a Third World country. It depends on borrowing over $1 trillion a year and depends on imports of even basic consumer goods and high end products. The American economy is only 9% industrial and much of it are mere assembly plants for foreign parts.

The national debt is over $14.5 trillion and we just raised it by another $2 trillion, just enough to get by 18 months. The total value of all publicly traded stocks in the American stock markets is just $15.3 trillion, not enough to pay off the debt.

In the past 10 years, the two political parties enabled globalists to ship out 57,000 industrial plants and over 6 million jobs to China and other cheap labor places so that global corporations could profit from wages of $100 a month. These two political parties have presided over the most spectacular national failure in world history. 40 years ago, America was the richest and most powerful industrial power in the world, with the richest and largest middle class and the richest and largest number of American owned private companies. Now we are a dependent, bankrupt country.

The politicians have no ideas other than the failed status quo. In my blog, I explain how we failed and offer a 28 point program to restore American prosperity before we become another Haiti or Somalia.

Roman Gil
http://roman-gil1.blogspot.com

 

RUDDERMANN

9:43 PM ET

September 11, 2011

Making Sense of the Digital Divide

What 'digital divide' have grown to be buzz words on the planet of knowledge management. This paper looks at the literature associated with its definition so when and where it originated. It questions if it's quantifiable, therefore how each kind could be measured. Programs and techniques to lessen digital divide are evaluated at local, national, and global levels.

While world leaders make intends to bridge the divide, some commentators argue when the divide really exists, whilst others have opposing opinions in regards to what it is. Research by Hongladarom (2010) reports that some commentators believe the saying shouldn't be used whatsoever and really should get replaced using the better social inclusion.