[lbo-talk] Inequality not the result of globalization

Somebody Somebody philos_case at yahoo.com
Thu Nov 4 17:03:31 PDT 2010


They don't say it because it's not true. This is similar to the discussion about whether capitalism can be tamed - once you pin every phenomenon upon capitalism or the wage system in the abstract and detach it from it's unique historical background, you're unable to explain any variation.

Take a look at the gini coefficient, for some countries it's going up, for others it's lazing about around the same level, and for others it's gone sharply down. Same thing's true if you look at say, the income share going to the richest 10% of the population. Brazil's reduced inequality across the board in the last twenty years, Pakistan's disparities are stable, and Egypt's wealth gap has grown. It's easy to exaggerate the homogenizing effects of globalization or capitalism, but not every country mouthing neoliberal doctrines has actually been reduced to a sweatshop dystopia.



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