Relationship between inequality , poverty and diversity

 

Relationship between inequality , poverty and diversity

 

Introduction

Inequality

Inequality refers to the unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, and wealth within a society. It can manifest in various forms, such as income inequality, educational disparities, or uneven access to healthcare. Inequality often leads to social and economic disadvantages for certain groups or individuals, limiting their chances of upward mobility and creating a cycle of poverty. Inequality, is by definition a relative concept. Inequality is concerned with summarizing the unevenness in the distribution of resources and opportunities among individuals, among groups in a population or among countries.

Poverty

Poverty, on the other hand, is generally understood as a state of deprivation or lack of material resources necessary for a decent standard of living. It is closely related to inequality because unequal distributions of resources can result in higher levels of poverty. Marginalized or disadvantaged groups, such as racial and ethnic minorities, women, or people with disabilities, are often disproportionately affected by poverty due to systemic discrimination and limited access to opportunities.

Diversity refers to the presence of a variety of different social and cultural groups within a society. Diversity encompasses differences in race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other dimensions of identity. It is important to recognize that diversity can exist within different socioeconomic strata, including both privileged and marginalized groups.

Analysis

The relationship between inequality, poverty, and diversity is complex and multifaceted. However, there are a number of ways in which these three concepts intersect.

·                                 Inequality can lead to poverty. When resources are distributed unevenly, those who are at the bottom of the economic ladder are more likely to experience poverty. This is because they have less access to opportunities, such as education and healthcare, which can help them escape poverty.

·                                 Poverty can lead to social exclusion. When people are poor, they are often excluded from mainstream society. This can be due to a number of factors, such as their lack of resources, their social status, or their cultural background. Social exclusion can make it difficult for people to escape poverty, as it limits their access to opportunities and resources.

·                                 Diversity can exacerbate inequality. When different groups of people have different levels of access to resources, this can lead to inequality. For example, if one group of people is disproportionately poor, this can create a situation where they are excluded from opportunities and resources. This can further perpetuate inequality and poverty.

 

Studies find that ethnic and linguistic fractionalization contributes to poverty levels. good economic policies alone are not necessarily sufficient to reduce poverty and promote growth.

 

Ethnic diversity plays a significant role, and therefore needs to be considered when formulating policies to reduce poverty the central point is that, it is impossible to achieve the goals of sustainable development if cultural imbalance that exacerbate inequality is ignored. Social scientists have suggested that cultural diversity in a nation leads to societal instability. However, societal instability may be affected not only by within-nation or α diversity, but also diversity between a nation and its neighbours or β diversity. It is also necessary to distinguish different domains of diversity, namely linguistic, ethnic and religious, and to distinguish between the direct effects of diversity on societal instability, and effects that are mediated by economic conditions.

 

 

 

 

The above table does suggest that inequality ay well be the cause of increased poverty in a society institutively this appears to be a valid hypotheses, the above Table if restricted to first 7 or all 10(r² 0.656) entries would support this statement but the whole available data for more than 130 or more nation states would not result in such a clear cut conclusion 

In the roughly three decades leading up to the most recent recession, looking at the officially measured poverty rate, educational upgrading and overall income growth were the two biggest poverty-reducing factors, while income inequality was the largest poverty-increasing factor. Relative to these factors, the racial composition of the U.S. population over this period (the growth of nonwhite populations with higher likelihoods of poverty) and changes in family structure (the growth of single mother households) have contributed much less to poverty, particularly in recent years.

 

The figure below plots the impact of these economic and demographic factors on the official poverty rate from 1979 to 2007. The impact of income inequality and income growth were quantitatively large, but in the opposite directions.

 

 

 Had income growth been equally distributed, which in this analysis means that all families’ incomes would have grown at the pace of the average, the poverty rate would have been 5.5 points lower, essentially, 44 percent lower than what it was. 

This rise in inequality, in turn, has been dominated by inequality of pre-tax, pre-transfer, market incomes. This means that making real progress on pushing the poverty rate down going forward would be helped enormously by checking or even reversing this growth in market income inequality. In concrete terms, this means we need wages to go up for those at the bottom and middle of the income distribution.

Conclusions

 

Within-nation linguistic diversity is associated with reduced economic performance, which, in turn, increases societal instability. Nations which differ linguistically from their neighbors are also less stable. However, religious diversity between neighboring nations has the opposite effect, decreasing societal instability. income inequality, a topic that has long been a matter of concern among economists, sociologists, and policy makers. A large body of literature can be found on the causes and effects of income inequality in human societies. Researchers have examined a number of factors - both internal such as education (xxx), economic policy of the government (Picketty 2013), political environment (Mullen, 2013), trade policy (Winters, McCulloch and McKay, 2004) as well as external such as colonization (Charles-Coll, 2013) , globalization (Meschi and Vivarelli, 2007; Ravallion, 2004; Kentor, 2001), technology (Jaumotte, Lull and Papageorgiou, 2008), etc., to explain the causes of income inequality in the role of culture in income inequality is that culture plays an important role by affecting government policies on taxation and spending, trade policies, and economic philosophy that would affect income inequality. 

However, diversity can also be a force for good in addressing inequality and poverty. When different groups of people work together, they can pool their resources and knowledge to create solutions that benefit everyone. For example, a diverse group of people may be able to come up with new ideas for how to address poverty, or they may be able to identify and address the root causes of inequality.

·                                 Inequality can be both a cause and a consequence of poverty. In some cases, inequality can lead to poverty, as those who are at the bottom of the economic ladder are less likely to have the resources they need to escape poverty. However, in other cases, poverty can lead to inequality, as those who are poor are less likely to have the same opportunities as those who are not poor.

·                                 Diversity can be a source of strength in addressing inequality and poverty. When different groups of people work together, they can pool their resources and knowledge to create solutions that benefit everyone. This is because different groups of people often have different perspectives and experiences, which can help them to identify and address the root causes of inequality and poverty.

In many cases, inequality and poverty can be exacerbated by a lack of diversity or by the unequal treatment of diverse groups. Discrimination and prejudice can hinder the social and economic advancement of marginalized communities, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and further exacerbating inequality. Inclusive policies and practices that value diversity and promote equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their background, can help address these issues.

 

·                                 There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem of inequality, poverty, and diversity. The best approach will vary depending on the specific context. However, it is clear that these three concepts are interconnected, and that they all play a role in shaping the lives of people around the world.

 

Ultimately, the relationship between inequality, poverty, and diversity is complex and multifaceted. However, it is clear that these three concepts are interconnected, and that they all play a role in shaping the lives of people around the world.

Furthermore, addressing inequality and poverty requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account the intersectionality of different forms of disadvantage. Individuals who belong to multiple marginalized groups may face compounded challenges and higher levels of inequality and poverty.

In summary, inequality, poverty, and diversity are interconnected concepts. Inequality can contribute to higher levels of poverty, and both inequality and poverty can disproportionately affect diverse or marginalized groups. Recognizing and addressing these interconnections is crucial for fostering a more equitable and inclusive society.

India’s Deepening Poverty Crisis By Sajjad Shaukat (JR 158 SS 39)

India’s Deepening Poverty Crisis By Sajjad Shaukat (JR 158 SS 39)

Poverty which creates other related crises is said to be a curse. Poverty is one of the major problems of the Third World. Poverty reflects a condition in which an individual fails to maintain a living standard sufficient for his physical and mental existence. Famous economist, Adam Smith remarks, “Man is rich or poor according to the degree in which he can afford to enjoy the necessities, the conveniences and the amusements of human life.”

On the one hand, India has rapidly been making progress in modern technologies-especially arms and ammunition with the help of the Western countries, while on the other, it has world’s largest number of poor people.

According to a report, “Of its more than 1 billion inhabitants, nearly 260.3 million are below the poverty line, of which 193.2 million are in the rural areas and 67.1 million are in urban areas. More than 75% of poor people reside in villages. Poverty level is not uniform across India. It is below 10% in states like Delhi, Goa, and Punjab etc. whereas it is below 50% in Bihar 43% and in Orissa 47%. It is between 30-40% in Northeastern states of Assam, Tripura, and Mehgalaya and in Southern states of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.”

In this regard, by exposing the statistics highlighting poverty, unemployment farmer’s suicides and health, under the caption “Incredible and Shining India a Myth”, published on the Kashmir Media Watch and the KMW News on March 29, 2019 Dr. Arif Javid Wrote: “Imagine a country where extremist parties (BJP and Sangh Parviar) got vacated 72 villages (having a population over One lac people) to build a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Kevadiya in Gujarat with a staggering cost of INR 2,979 crores under title of “ Statue of Unity”. Reportedly, apart from dislocating such a huge population, the Gujarat government is concerned about the fate of tourists at its newest tourist attraction as 500 mugger crocodiles are also to be relocated. In a related development, recently, Maharashtra Cabinet approved the allocation of Rs 100 crore for construction of a memorial in Mumbai dedicated to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.”

Dr. Arif elaborated: “India has estimated population of about 1.2 billion people. As per SOS statistics, More than 800 million people in India are considered poor. 68.8% of the Indian population lives on less than $2 a day. Over 30% even have less than $1.25 per day available. India is one of the world’s top countries with regard to malnutrition. More than 200 million people don’t have sufficient access to food, including 61 million children. 7.8 million infants were found to have a birth weight of less than 2.5 kilograms-alarming figures for a country commonly referred to as the emerging market.”

Although child labour for children under the age of 14 in India is prohibited by law, according to official figures, 12.5 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are working. Aid agencies assume that in reality, there are many more estimating that 65 million children between 6 and 14 years do not go to school. 2.7 million Indians are infected with the HIV virus; about 220,000 of them are children, with the tendency rising. India added 18 new billionaires to the list just last year, taking the total number of billionaires in the country to 119. Their total wealth is higher than the Union budget of India for 2018-2019 (Rs 24,422 billion), the report says. The country’s combined revenue and capital expenditure of the Centre and states for public health, sanitation and water supply is less than the wealth of India’s richest billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Inequality in India is based not just on class but caste, sexuality and gender as well. “A Dalit woman can expect to live almost 14.6 years less than one from a high-caste,” the report says, asserting that this inequality costs India its human potential. Latest employment data reinforces the distress about the job situation in India. The Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy reported a loss of 1.1 crore jobs in 2018 and estimated that the unemployment rate reached a 15-month high of 7.4% in December 2018.The Labour Bureau also recorded a continuous rise in unemployment from 3.4% in 2014 to 3.7% in 2015 and 3.9% in 2016-17. Debt and draught continue to overwhelm farmers all around India. As per recent figures, Four hundred thirty farmers and farm labourers committed suicide during last year in agriculture rich Punjab alone. As per Guardian report, nearly 60,000 Indian farmers and farm workers committed suicide over the past three decades. In 2015, about 12,602 farmers committed suicide across India. As per World Health Org statistics, around 2 lakh leprosy cases continue to be reported every year in the world, with India accounting for more than half of them.”

Dr. Arif Javid maintained: “Above statistics (covering few sectors is tip of iceberg), however, amply busts the myth of “Incredible and Shining India” as it’s the “mask of media propaganda” that projects India in a hyper exaggerated manner.”   

It is notable that one can note great socio-economic disparities between urban and rural regions of India. People of rural areas are forced to move out of villages to seek some subsistence living in the cities. In this process, they even lose some little saving what they had in their native villages. In the cities, they have to live without food and other basic amenities of life. Thus they are compelled to adopt the profession of begging in the urban areas.

It is misfortune of India that a select few families have good standards of living, one can compare them to the richest in the world, but the majority cannot get two meals a day.

However, dimensions of rural and urban poverty in India are manifold such as lack of facilities or poor arrangement in the fields of heath, education, sanitation, nutrition etc. including low income. The overdependence on monsoon with non-availability of irrigational facilities often culminate in crop-failure and low agricultural productivity, forcing farmers in the vicious circle of debt-traps.

According to an Indian study, “our economic development since Independence has been lopsided. There has been increase in unemployment, creating poverty. Population is growing at an alarming rate. The size of the Indian family is relatively bigger averaging at 4.2.The other causes include dominance of caste system which forces the individual to stick to the traditional and hereditary occupations.”

And Public health system in India suffers from many problems which include insufficient funding and shortage of facilities. In one of its reports, Indian Planning Commission has admitted that the “country has a shortfall of six lakh doctors, 10 lakh nurses and two lakh dental surgeons. This has led to a dismal patient-doctor ratio in the country. For every 10,000 Indians, there is just one doctor.” In this respect, in the past, the much publicized National Urban Health Mission aimed at providing accessible, affordable and effective basic health care facilities especially to the urban poor badly failed in its objectives.

Nevertheless, acute poverty has added to psychological problems, noted among these Indians like emotional disturbances and depression. Particularly, emotional abuse is due to the neglect and maltreatment of children and women. It involves a disregard of the physical, emotional, moral and social requirements of the children and women.

Owing to poverty, there are other social abuses of children like kidnapping and forcing them to beg in streets including murder. According to National Crime Records Bureau, “crimes against children have increased by 3.8% nationally-14,975 cases in 2005 from 14,423 in 2004.” And latest estimate shows 20% percent increase in these crimes.

As regards women and the young ladies, in a gender-biased society of India, apart from other poverty-related sufferings, working women have to face a number of problems such as injustice of unequal salaries and wages for the same job—adductions and rapes. Recently, there have been several cases of sexual harassment involving even the senior women officials, working in civil and military establishments. The psychological pressure of all this easily leads to a woman to quit her job, making her vulnerable to crime or suicide. In some cases, this deteriorating situation has compelled Indian women to take relief through alcohol and smoking. In this context, the third edition of the Tobacco Atlas released in Dublin by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation points out: “More women in India are turning smokers and oral users of tobacco. India has the third highest number of female tobacco users in the world.”

So far as crimes are concerned, even foreigners are not spared. Theft, robbery and rape which have become routine matter in India have also been conducted against the Western nationals form time to time.

Nonetheless, there are several laws in India to control various anti-social activities and crimes which emanate from poverty, but the same have failed owing to their non-implementation. Meanwhile, from time to time a number of plans and schemes have been launched by the Indian subsequent governments to improve the poor standard of living by ensuring food security, promoting self-employment, increasing wage employment and improving access to basic social services including raising the status of women, but all these proved unsuccessful due to ineffective implementation coupled with high corruption among the officials which also includes country’s top officials. Notably, in 2017, Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced economic reforms, claiming that the country’s economy was in a strong position. But, this plan badly failed.

Undoubtedly, we can conclude that directly or indirectly, India’s deepening poverty crisis has resulted into violence of various forms—social strife, economic crisis and political instability.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

The Hands Deserve The Books BY ZEENAT IQBAL HAKIMJEE (JR97MH06)

 

The Hands Deserve The Books BY ZEENAT IQBAL HAKIMJEE (JR97MH06)

Child Labour is a crime against humanity. At this juncture I am reminded of a very moving story about one of the world’s greatest humanitarians Abraham Lincoln. The time, at which this episode took place, Lincoln was a candidate for a congress seat. And on that day, he had an important election speech to deliver. But he also had a far greater task to perform. A noble cause to fight for.

            He cancelled his election speech and entered the jam-packed court, which was already in session. Unnoticed, he sat down in the last row. The case being ended, the District Attorney rose and moved the trial of John Wilson for murder. There was a stir through the courtroom. In the doorway appeared the Sheriff, leading a childish figure, a boy of ten, dressed in poor homemade clothes. He was pale and desperately frightened. The judge faced the criminal, paused pityingly and steadied himself. “Have you a lawyer?” He asked. The lad shook his unkempt yellow head. “No, I dunno anybody. I ain’t got- Money- to pay”.

            The boy was in tears, his widowed mother was sobbing near him. “Do you wish the court to assign you a counsel?” In the stillness a boot scraped the floor. The man in the back seat rose, “May it please your honour” he said. “I am a lawyer. I should be glad to act as a Counsel for the Defense”. The Judge looked for a moment at the loose-hung, towering figure. “What is your name?” He asked. The man answered quietly “Abraham Lincoln”. Lincoln, who gave his life to abolish slavery, had come that day to re-pay a debt.

            Years back, when he was a struggling non-entity, the family of the then well to do little boy, then a baby, had given Lincoln solace and succor. Subsequently, the boy’s father died and the family was in a miserable state of abject poverty. The boy, John had to work due to force of circumstances, in a farm of one heartless man who was Shaughnessy by name. He was a cruel tormentor. One day, he started beating the boy so mercilessly that the desperate defenseless boy struck his tormentor’s head with a pitchfork. The man died after some time. The boy was charged for murder. This was the story. It was commonly said that the boy was doomed; No lawyer, even a smart one could get him off after some seemingly convincing evidence. But in the courtroom that day was no ordinary man. It was the great Lincoln, the unique humanist, who had come, jeopardizing his future career by cancelling his election speech, for a great cause- even greater than his own magnificence.

            “Gentlemen of the jury,” began Abraham Lincoln. I am going to try this case in a manner not customary in courts. I shall not call witnesses; the little prisoner over there is all the witness I want. I shall not argue. You know that at an age when this boy’s hands should have held schoolbooks or a fishing rod, they held the man’s tool that was his undoing; you know how a grown man goaded the child till in desperation he used the tool at hand. All I ask is that you deal with the little fellow, as you would have other men deal in such a case with little fellow’s of your own at home. Before the verdict, for a second, perhaps, no one breathed in that packed mass. ‘Not guilty’ was the verdict.

            It was a momentous Victory for a great cause. The cause of tormented and exploited ‘Johns’ of America.

            My story is an inspiration from the former. It is about the ‘Asims’ of Pakistan. A familiar figure in the homes of Pakistan. The not so lucky ones in the houses. I differentiate because cold callous concrete houses consist of ruthlessness.

            For one such house Asim worked. His mother was a widow and she washed dishes and clothes for her ‘Begum Sahiba’ who had suggested this couple for Asim’s employment. Asim had formerly tried his hand as a motor mechanic, but as circumstances would have it his boss had closed his workshop because of lack of funds.

            After getting the job, Asim worked for Amina and Aslam where he was required to do all the dirty and hard jobs. To clean the bathrooms, to sweep outdoors in the harsh summer sun of Karachi. On the face of it everything seemed fine. His masters bullied him sometimes. They would feed him with leftovers and not give him new clothes to wear, although he tore his own clothes doing the dirty work. Maybe, it was because poor Asim had not experienced the luxury of life. He could not tell that he was being dealt with severely.

            Amina was a frustrated woman. Aslam had two wives and she hated sharing him with his other wife. Maybe this was the reason for her being so cruel.

            One ill-fated day, Amina entered the house and heard a noise in the kitchen. A glass had slipped from Asim’s hands and was in splinters.

            In a rage, she ignited a matchstick and placed it on Asim’s hands. Singed he ran out, followed by Amina who seemed in a frenzy. Luckily, for him, she was heavy and could not move as fast as he.

            In his mother’s embrace he told his story, to his mother’s mistress who listened patiently. She could not even think that Amina could do this to Asim. She was determined to amend the wrong done to him.

            She went to Amina’s house, but Amina completely denied that she had been cruel. She knew Amina was scared of being blamed publicly. So Asim’s mother’s mistress threatened Amina to compensate Asim for her ill-doings or she would go to the Police.

            Amina was asked to pay a handsome amount to Asim for a life-time in lieu of her attempt to burn Asim’s hand, which escaped several burns because of him not losing his senses and wrapping up his hand tightly so that no air was left to blow the flame.

            Asim’s mother’s won the money and with that money Asim joined school with zeal to become something, and look after his mother.

Why Should I Be Hungry BY ZEENAT IQBAL HAKIMJEE (JR94SS05)

 

Why Should I Be Hungry BY ZEENAT IQBAL HAKIMJEE (JR94SS05)

Salman come and have your lunch” shouted his mom from the door of their hut in the Katchi abadi. He was playing marbles with his friends of adversary. His mother was thin, a widow who lived in a slum of Karachi. Her husband died when Salman was 6 years of age. He was 10 now in the adolescent phase. She worked hard as a domestic servant in the city. Their slum was outside the city. Salman knew that she always kept the meat for him. If Salman asked her to have it she would say she had eaten at Begum Saheba’s. But Salman, although not so old, knew in his heart of hearts that his mom was laying.  He knew that she saved as  much food as she could for him, of the little that they had. He entered his hut with his friend; his mom looked up as if to say, there is not enough for the both of us. But she told Rahman to come in. So Rahman and Salman sat together and ate the dried bread with curry.

            One day Rahman told Salman that a guest to the slum whom he called, Ustadji, had given him 5 rupees, which was a lot of money for Rahman. He asked Salman to come with him to meet Ustadji. Ustadji seemed to be a nice person. He gave Salman Rs. 5; only nice persons gave money, just like that, thought Salman.

            Upon enquiring Salman found out that Ustadji lived in the city. He told Salman that he had a big house and he, Salman could come and stay with him. He would receive Rs. 500 per month. Salman convinced his mom to let him go. He wanted to help his mom by earning some money to give her.

            They sat in a taxi, which wound through roads that Salman had not seen in a lifetime. After an hour or so, the taxi stopped outside a building. Ustadji stepped outside and asked Salman to follow. A boy about 14 years of age came to Ustadji. He enquired about who Salman was. Ustadji asked him to take Salman to his room.

            There Salman saw a quilted robe and Kashkoll A pair of crutches were propped up against the wall.  Many cases of children being deliberately mutilated and disabled by their inhuman Ustadji’s for the purpose of beggary have been reported. A substantial amount of takings from these poor and innocent child-beggars fill the purses of their cruel tormentors.

            After a couple of days, Salman found himself on the streets with the boy who shared his room, begging for money. He had to report to Ustadji in the evening, declaring the amount of money he had collected to him.

            It is facts that a vast majority of beggars are able bodied and have taken to this lucrative profession as a means of making some easy money. Well, meaning people give alms to them on Fridays in particular and during Ramazan. But they don’t realize that by doing so, they are not really implementing the spirit behind the concept of charity. No doubt, some of the destitute need our help, but by giving alms to them we are really encouraging them to become lazy and to harass people.

            Salman hated this job, but what could he do. He missed his mom and Rahman very much. But what could he do. Ustadji kept giving excuses for not sending him home. Salman did not know how to find his way home. At night he cried himself to sleep. Take this money. Ustadji gave him Rs. 10 as a bonus whenever he was in a good mood.

            One day, Salman set out early. In the midst of the crowd, he thought he saw Begum Saheba. She lived in the city. He ran like a bullet towards her. With wet eyes he told her his story. She said she would take him to his mom. She gave him some clothes to wear and made sure he had a bath.

            He hugged his mom and would not leave her. He hugged Rahman and thanked Begum Saheba, profoundly. He would skip a meal, even three and live on an empty stomach as long as he could be with his mom and Rahman.

            One wonders where the crores of rupees which the government annually collects as zakat goes. Of course the bulk of the amount should be given as annual aid to the poor whether they live in slums or are beggars.