Does the Richness of the Few Benefit Us All?

Does the Richness of the Few Benefit Us All? PDF Author: Zygmunt Bauman
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0745679196
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Book Description
It is commonly assumed that the best way to help the poor out oftheir misery is to allow the rich to get richer, that if the richpay less taxes then all the rest of us will be better off, and thatin the final analysis the richness of the few benefits us all. Andyet these commonly held beliefs are flatly contradicted by ourdaily experience, an abundance of research findings and, indeed,logic. Such bizarre discrepancy between hard facts and popularopinions makes one pause and ask: why are these opinions sowidespread and resistant to accumulated and fast-growing evidenceto the contrary? This short book is by one of the world’s leading socialthinkers is an attempt to answer this question. Bauman lists andscrutinizes the tacit assumptions and unreflected-upon convictionsupon which such opinions are grounded, finding them one by one tobe false, deceitful and misleading. Their persistence could behardly sustainable were it not for the role they play in defending- indeed, promoting and reinforcing - the current, unprecedented,indefensible and still accelerating growth in social inequality andthe rapidly widening gap between the elite of the rich and the restof society.

Does the Richness of the Few Benefit Us All?

Does the Richness of the Few Benefit Us All? PDF Author: Zygmunt Bauman
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0745679196
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 86

Get Book

Book Description
It is commonly assumed that the best way to help the poor out oftheir misery is to allow the rich to get richer, that if the richpay less taxes then all the rest of us will be better off, and thatin the final analysis the richness of the few benefits us all. Andyet these commonly held beliefs are flatly contradicted by ourdaily experience, an abundance of research findings and, indeed,logic. Such bizarre discrepancy between hard facts and popularopinions makes one pause and ask: why are these opinions sowidespread and resistant to accumulated and fast-growing evidenceto the contrary? This short book is by one of the world’s leading socialthinkers is an attempt to answer this question. Bauman lists andscrutinizes the tacit assumptions and unreflected-upon convictionsupon which such opinions are grounded, finding them one by one tobe false, deceitful and misleading. Their persistence could behardly sustainable were it not for the role they play in defending- indeed, promoting and reinforcing - the current, unprecedented,indefensible and still accelerating growth in social inequality andthe rapidly widening gap between the elite of the rich and the restof society.

Does the Richness of the Few Benefit Us All?

Does the Richness of the Few Benefit Us All? PDF Author: Zygmunt Bauman
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0745679218
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 47

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Book Description
It is commonly assumed that the best way to help the poor out of their misery is to allow the rich to get richer, that if the rich pay less taxes then all the rest of us will be better off, and that in the final analysis the richness of the few benefits us all. And yet these commonly held beliefs are flatly contradicted by our daily experience, an abundance of research findings and, indeed, logic. Such bizarre discrepancy between hard facts and popular opinions makes one pause and ask: why are these opinions so widespread and resistant to accumulated and fast-growing evidence to the contrary? This short book is by one of the world’s leading social thinkers is an attempt to answer this question. Bauman lists and scrutinizes the tacit assumptions and unreflected-upon convictions upon which such opinions are grounded, finding them one by one to be false, deceitful and misleading. Their persistence could be hardly sustainable were it not for the role they play in defending - indeed, promoting and reinforcing - the current, unprecedented, indefensible and still accelerating growth in social inequality and the rapidly widening gap between the elite of the rich and the rest of society.

Poverty propaganda

Poverty propaganda PDF Author: Shildrick, Tracy
Publisher: Policy Press
ISBN: 1447324013
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Does ‘real’ poverty still exist in Britain? How do people differentiate between the supposed ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor? Is there a culture of worklessness passed down from generation to generation? Bringing together historical and contemporary material, Poverty Propaganda: Exploring the myths sheds new light on how poverty is understood in contemporary Britain. The book debunks many popular myths and misconceptions about poverty and its prevalence, causes and consequences. In particular, it highlights the role of ‘poverty propaganda’ in sustaining class divides in perpetuating poverty and disadvantage in contemporary Britain.

Beyond the Living Dead

Beyond the Living Dead PDF Author: Bruce Peabody
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476642621
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
In 1968, George Romero's film Night of the Living Dead premiered, launching a growing preoccupation with zombies within mass and literary fiction, film, television, and video games. Romero's creativity and enduring influence make him a worthy object of inquiry in his own right, and his long career helps us take stock of the shifting interest in zombies since the 1960s. Examining his work promotes a better understanding of the current state of the zombie and where it is going amidst the political and social turmoil of the twenty-first century. These new essays document, interpret, and explain the meaning of the still-budding Romero legacy, drawing cross-disciplinary perspectives from such fields as literature, political science, philosophy, and comparative film studies. Essays consider some of the sources of Romero's inspiration (including comics, science fiction, and Westerns), chart his influence as a storyteller and a social critic, and consider the legacy he leaves for viewers, artists, and those studying the living dead.

Andrew Carnegie Speaks to the 1%

Andrew Carnegie Speaks to the 1% PDF Author: Andrew Carnegie
Publisher: Gray Rabbit Publishing
ISBN: 9781515400387
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 34

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Book Description
Before the 99% occupied Wall Street... Before the concept of social justice had impinged on the social conscience... Before the social safety net had even been conceived... By the turn of the 20th Century, the era of the robber barons, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) had already accumulated a staggeringly large fortune; he was one of the wealthiest people on the globe. He guaranteed his position as one of the wealthiest men ever when he sold his steel business to create the United States Steel Corporation. Following that sale, he spent his last 18 years, he gave away nearly 90% of his fortune to charities, foundations, and universities. His charitable efforts actually started far earlier. At the age of 33, he wrote a memo to himself, noting ..".The amassing of wealth is one of the worse species of idolatry. No idol more debasing than the worship of money." In 1881, he gave a library to his hometown of Dunfermline, Scotland. In 1889, he spelled out his belief that the rich should use their wealth to help enrich society, in an article called "The Gospel of Wealth" this book. Carnegie writes that the best way of dealing with wealth inequality is for the wealthy to redistribute their surplus means in a responsible and thoughtful manner, arguing that surplus wealth produces the greatest net benefit to society when it is administered carefully by the wealthy. He also argues against extravagance, irresponsible spending, or self-indulgence, instead promoting the administration of capital during one's lifetime toward the cause of reducing the stratification between the rich and poor. Though written more than a century ago, Carnegie's words still ring true today, urging a better, more equitable world through greater social consciousness.

Why Nations Fail

Why Nations Fail PDF Author: Daron Acemoglu
Publisher: Currency
ISBN: 0307719227
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 546

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Book Description
Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine? Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are? Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence? Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities. The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories. Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including: - China has built an authoritarian growth machine. Will it continue to grow at such high speed and overwhelm the West? - Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority? - What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity? More philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions? Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world.

Capital in the Twenty-First Century

Capital in the Twenty-First Century PDF Author: Thomas Piketty
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674979850
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 817

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Book Description
What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about the long-term evolution of inequality, the concentration of wealth, and the prospects for economic growth lie at the heart of political economy. But satisfactory answers have been hard to find for lack of adequate data and clear guiding theories. In this work the author analyzes a unique collection of data from twenty countries, ranging as far back as the eighteenth century, to uncover key economic and social patterns. His findings transform debate and set the agenda for the next generation of thought about wealth and inequality. He shows that modern economic growth and the diffusion of knowledge have allowed us to avoid inequalities on the apocalyptic scale predicted by Karl Marx. But we have not modified the deep structures of capital and inequality as much as we thought in the optimistic decades following World War II. The main driver of inequality--the tendency of returns on capital to exceed the rate of economic growth--today threatens to generate extreme inequalities that stir discontent and undermine democratic values if political action is not taken. But economic trends are not acts of God. Political action has curbed dangerous inequalities in the past, the author says, and may do so again. This original work reorients our understanding of economic history and confronts us with sobering lessons for today.

God Wants You to Be Rich

God Wants You to Be Rich PDF Author: Paul Zane Pilzer
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0684825325
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
In God Wants You to Be Rich, bestselling author Paul Zane Pilzer provides an original, provocative view of how to accumulate wealth and why it is beneficial to all of humankind. A theology of economics, this book explores why God wants each of us to be rich in every way -- physically, emotionally, and financially -- and shows the way to prosperity, well-being, and peace of mind. Pilzer explains that the foundation of our economic system is based on our Judeo-Christian heritage and includes chapters on a variety of financial issues from outsourcing and unemployment to the rise of technology and real estate. Table of Contents 1. God Wants You to Be Rich 2. The Covenant 3. The Search for Camelot 4. Economic Alchemy 5. What's Happening to Our Jobs 6. The Workplace of the 21st Century 7. Money 8. Government 9. Leadership Appendix: The Principles and Six Laws of Economic Alchemy

The Science of Getting Rich

The Science of Getting Rich PDF Author: Wallace D Wattles
Publisher: Start Classics
ISBN:
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Wallace D. Wattles introduced the world to the power of positive thinking. He was a profound influence on Michael Losier and James Arthur Ray. With out Wattles "Science Of" trilogy there never would have been books such as The Secret The Laws of Attraction and the Power of Positive Thinking. Now you can go directly to the source with this easy to understand lesson book on attracting wealth.

From Poverty to Power

From Poverty to Power PDF Author: Duncan Green
Publisher: Oxfam
ISBN: 0855985933
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 540

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Book Description
Offers a look at the causes and effects of poverty and inequality, as well as the possible solutions. This title features research, human stories, statistics, and compelling arguments. It discusses about the world we live in and how we can make it a better place.