Inequality: The Oldest and Deadliest Ailment of Republics - Essay Sample

Introduction

"An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics." - Lucius Mestrius PlutarchusThe United Nations Development Program (UNDP) had set the goal of reducing the number of people living on less than 1.25 dollars a day by the year 2015. As of 2010, the world had managed to reach the goal thanks to the giant economic rise in large parts of Asia considerable progress realized in sections of Africa (Martinez-Soliman, par. 1-2). Hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens were able to move out of poverty, thanks to the country's meteoric rise from a low-income country to a middle-income country. Similar improvements are happening in India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Similar developments were witnessed in some African countries, especially the ones located in the northern section of the continent. However, these developments are contrasted to the situation in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and Southern Asia. In Sub-Saharan and Southern Asia, to be particular, close to half of the population in these regions are living in poverty. However, even as organizations such as the United Nations (UN) try to fight poverty in those specific regions, there are still people in developed countries who are living in poverty. Even some of the wealthiest countries in the world, such as Norway and Singapore, still have sections of their population living below the poverty line. So that brings up the question, can there be a society without poverty? The thing is, the current setup of human society does not allow for the absence of the low class, and that is why even the most advanced societies have poor people.

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Argument on Poverty

The issue of poverty is essential to me because I come from a humble background. My family struggled to make ends meet, and I could hardly manage to get into college. However, things have gotten better for us over the years, and my future seems a lot brighter than the past. However, even as the family moved out of poverty, I could not help but wonder how many more people are stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty because of one reason or another. I wanted to understand the elements of poverty and its causalities. I was interested in finding out the differences that exist between the poor people and the upper classes. Politicians and charity organizations have been talking about fighting and ending poverty for centuries, yet poverty continues to exist in every society or country in the world. While it is true that poverty prevails in some countries more than others, the suffering of poor people in rich countries is not any lesser than the suffering of their counterparts in developing countries. An argument can be made that the poor people in rich countries have it harder than their counterparts in the developing world. I want to see an end to poverty just as much as the next guy, but for that to happen, we first have to understand the face of poverty.

Figure 1: Shutterstock image of Gypsy slum in Belgrade, Serbia. Photo by Cryptographer

At first glance, one might mistake that image to be that of a slum in sub-Saharan Africa or Southern Asia. However, the image is actually from Europe, which is one of the world's wealthiest continents. Even with a per capita income of over $ 38,000, there are still some people that live in abject poverty in the continent. So how comes there are still people living in such conditions even in one of the most developed regions in the world.

First of all, the term poverty is a relative term, as evidenced by the changing definition of poverty. According to the United Nations Development Program, a sick person is one who lives on less than 1.25 dollars in a day (Martinez-Soliman, par.1). However, according to the World Bank, the poverty line for lower-middle-income countries is living on less at $ 3.20, while for the upper-middle-income countries is at $ 5.50 a day (Howton par.2). So that presents the first problem in the fight against poverty, and that is the lack of a standard definition of poverty. So that means the different groups involved in the fight against poverty are mostly fighting different concepts. That translates to different strategies and sometimes even different results. The problem is, they are not inherently wrong. Poverty in the United Kingdom is not the same as poverty in Kenya. Therefore, it cannot be treated the same. That means that the disproportionate definition of poverty is not something that can be addressed by picking a standard definition. The problem originates from the setup of the human society. Different cultures, standards of living, and currency strength mean that poverty will always take on a different face in various world regions. However, the disparity also reveals another aspect of the concept of poverty. One that significantly undermines it.

Economic Factors

The definition based on monetary value or earnings creates a loop. Economic factors such as inflation and recessions undermine the fight against poverty. If one thinks of it, the line for extreme poverty is currently drawn at $ 1.90 (Howton par. 3). Some 50 years ago, $ 1.90 had a higher value. That means that a person with $ 1.90 could afford the most basic needs in several parts of the world. That means that the organizations involved, such as UNDP and the World Bank, have had to adjust the poverty line to compensate for inflation over the years. However, as more people cross the poverty line, the standard of living increases. Basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing become more expensive as more people make much money. Supply and demand are the leading market forces that drive economies. As more people move out of poverty, their purchasing power increases, and that increases the demand for essential commodities such as food, shelter, and clothing. The price will of these commodities continue to increase until the market reaches an equilibrium point where the demand equals the supply. At that point, the price of commodities will be beyond the reach of a section of the population hence causing them to fall below the poverty line. That causes some form of recurrent loop where there are always going to be people making less than they need to survive. That shows that human society is always designed to create the low-class people, also known as the poor. It is reasons like this that have led to the development of ideologies such as communism and socialism.

The Goal of Ending Poverty

However, when one decides to look at poverty as an absolute term, then the goal of ending poverty becomes more probable and more achievable. Thousands of years ago, a person who has enough food would be considered as not inferior. In most developed countries, death by starvation is almost non-existent. Most developed countries can manage to close the gap and guarantee basic food, shelter, and clothing to each of their citizens. Also, these countries provide primary education to all of its citizens, and some of them provide primary healthcare. If someone were to define poverty by access to food, healthcare, and education, then some of these countries would lack poor people. The reason these countries still have poor people is that poverty is defined in its relative sense. Every society has defined its most deficient 10 percent as poor. For example, in the United States, someone who lives in a trailer is considered poor regardless of whether he or she has a refrigerator, televisions set, washing machine, or Xbox, which satisfy secondary needs. In essence, even if the world manages to feed, clothe, and shelter all of its population, the low-class or poor will still exist. The reason being there will still be more things that they cannot afford.

So the question of how to discriminate the poor from non-poor through the use of one or several poverty lines remains (Laderchi, Ruhi and Frances 4). According to Laderchi et al., with such a question, two fundamental problems that arise. The first one is what is the justification for adopting such a line, and the second is the extent to which the poverty line defined as relative to a given context. Alternatively, there is the question of to what extent the poverty line is intended to reflect some absolute standards of deprivation. One can decide to define poverty based on access to basic needs. The people that are unable to access these basic needs are called poor. However, even that definition has some flaws that make it difficult to eradicate poverty.

Basic Needs

Initially, there were three basic needs, namely food shelter and clothing. Nevertheless, that was a time when owning a house was considered a luxury. However, as the world advanced and more people were able to afford these first three items, other items were added onto the category of basic needs. In the modern world, other elements such as education and healthcare are considered basic needs. As earlier explained, developed countries, as well as some developing countries, are providing some or all of these basic needs to their population as a way of providing basic needs. That shows that just like the line used for the definition of poverty, the definition of basic needs is an ever-changing concept. A person who has access to food, clothing, and shelter but lacks access to education and healthcare is considered poor by modern standards. Security is also a basic need since it ensures the protection of the citizens from harm. Access to clean drinking water, proper sanitation also qualifies as basic needs as per the modern standards.

Since the 20th century, electricity has grown in importance to the point of qualifying as a basic need. Countries with the best electricity connection are considered as developed while those with a significant number of their population living without power are said to be developing. The wealthiest countries in the world have the highest penetration of electrical connectivity, while the poorest have minimal electricity penetration. A good part of this stems from the fact that electricity forms the core of basic needs. The household chores and activities in modern homestead rely on electricity. Heating or cooking, taking a bath, heating the house, as well as entertainment, is dependent on electricity. Therefore, most groups of people would consider populations that are without electricity to be lacking a basic need. Additional items have been added to the list of basic needs.

Access to roads and sewage connection is one of the items that can qualify as basic needs. Roads ensure access to other basic needs such as healthcare, which in turn makes road access a basic need. As for sewage, it provides sanitation and reduces the chances of contracting diseases such as cholera. In the 21st century, the rise of the internet has made it a basic need in some parts of the world. The internet is used for communication, learning, and in some cases, the provision of security. All of which qualify as basic needs, and as a result of the internet immediately qualifies as a basic need. Internet penetration is high in some of the wealthiest countries, and that gives their population increased access to healthcare, learning, and business opportunities. There is also a cellular network, which forms the backbone of mobile phone communication. Mobile phones rely on cellular networks for their connectivity, without which communication becomes difficult. That has made cellular network to be a basic need in some parts of the world. Populations rely on cellular networks to call for an ambulance, the police, or keeping in touch with their loved ones.

So just like the line for poverty, the basic needs are ever-increasing. However, unlike poverty, basic needs include the items that are needed for a healthy human life. That means that basic needs have a clear or absolute definition. The only thing that's changin...