Recommendations

The process of globalization has escalated worldwide levels of income inequality to the point where the harsh realities of this discrimination are becoming apparent. Soaring global income inequality is a problem that must be addressed to reverse the existing education injustices, resource depletion and prevent further social division and disarray. Fortunately, experts agree there are steps that can be taken to alleviate some of these affects.

EDUCATION:

Injustices in the education system are caused by income inequality, as well as further perpetuate income inequality. In an economically unequal society, the average level of education decreases while the number of educated elites increases. One proposed causal connection between levels of inequality and education is that unequal societies tend to underinvest in education. As the wealth of the elite increases, public policies become increasingly favorable towards the goals of the economically advantaged.[1] Public education programs tend to be unpopular with the wealthy because they involve taking public funding (often from taxes) and redistributing those resources to areas that don’t benefit the wealthy. Fortunately, there can be steps taken to rectify these issues. The United Nations has 17 Sustainable Development goals they plan to meet by 2030, One of which is to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”[1] This can be done in a few ways.

  • Parents, teachers, and political officials must advocate for genuine reforms that assure equitable access to good schools and programs, specifically in neglected communities[2]
  • Each city should set up a Department of Education that monitors the flow of resources to schools. Schools where the majority of students come from impoverished areas should receive significantly more per-student funding than those schools serving students in wealthier neighborhoods.[3]
  • According to the UNESCO Education for All Global Monitoring Report, governments must double education spending as a share of national income to achieve the 2030 UN Sustainable Development goals[4]

 

RESOURCES:

An increasingly globalized world puts more pressure on resources from food and water to energy and metals. Some of the worlds resources are renewable and are replenished naturally over a short amount of time. The majority of the worlds resource are nonrenewable and there is only a finite amount society has to work with. As income inequality has grown there has also been increased competition for these resources. Powerful and developed nations require significantly more resources than developing nations. If the current rate of resource consumption continues the elite nations will hoard what little remain, and majority of the world will be left without resources necessary to survive. The best way to prevent this fight for resources from occurring in the future is to better manage natural resources now. There are various ways to do this.

  • Governments must enforce policies that protect the environment and ensure that businesses and industries are held accountable for their resource use.[5]
  • Governments could provide incentives to businesses that use recycled raw materials and fine those that still tap into natural resources.[6]
  • Businesses should be required to return a portion of their profits to activities that aim at restoring what they have taken out of the environment.[7]
  • Nations, as a whole, should make plans for sustainable management, mapping out their resources and how to transition to renewable sources over time
  • Better land management could also be an effective way to mitigate some of these concerns. Setting up land tenure policies that stipulate which land is protected for activities like agriculture or forestry, could prevent land grabbing and ownership of natural resources falling into the wrong hands.[8]
  • At an individual level, people in developed nations with high resource consumption rates must be educated of the issues of natural resources depletion

 

SOCIAL DIVISION:

An overarching issue created by income inequality is social division. Currently nations and people in the world are categorized and divided by their socio-economic status. Following the current path of development, the gap between high-income and low-income people and nations will widen. Ultimately the world will be even further split into two groups: the elite and the impoverished, each group with a motivation to further their own interests.

  • Exposure to differing opinions and beliefs
  • Exposure to news and information from various sources
  • The high and low-income classes need to be aware of the issues on “the other side”
  • Perhaps a third-party mediator could facilitate a dialogue between members from each class

 

INCOME INEQUALITY IN GENERAL:

  • Better monitoring of developing nations illicit financial flows. This money could instead be used to invest in in human capital, infrastructure, and economic growth.[9]
  • Establishing a “wealth tax”. countries would agree to tax personal assets of all kinds at graduated rates.[10]
  •  Since wealth tends to accumulate over generations, just wealth could would go a long way towards combating extreme inequality.
  • Governments should establish and enforce a national living wage.
  • Corporations should also prioritize a living wage for their workers
  • People of all classes need to recognize that global inequality is an issue and also be willing to do something about it

 

 

[1] Birdsong, Nicholas. 2015. “The Consequences of Economic Inequality.” Seven Pillars Institute. February 5, 2015.

[1] Strauss, Valerie. 2012. “Why Education Inequality Persists — and How to Fix It.” Washington Post (blog). May 16, 2012

[2] Strauss, Valerie. 2012. “Why Education Inequality Persists — and How to Fix It.”

[3] Strauss, Valerie. 2012. “Why Education Inequality Persists — and How to Fix It.”

[4] Strauss, Valerie. 2012. “Why Education Inequality Persists — and How to Fix It.”

[5] “6 Ways to Adapt Legal Frameworks for Effective Natural Resources Management.” December 18, 2014.

[6] “6 Ways to Adapt Legal Frameworks for Effective Natural Resources Management.” December 18, 2014.

[7] “6 Ways to Adapt Legal Frameworks for Effective Natural Resources Management.” December 18, 2014.

[8] “6 Ways to Adapt Legal Frameworks for Effective Natural Resources Management.” December 18, 2014.

[9] “Eight Ways to Reduce Global Inequality.” n.d. Inequality.Org.

[10] “Eight Ways to Reduce Global Inequality.” n.d. Inequality.Org.