32 thoughts on “Week 1 – What is Inequality?”

1. Question #1:
   I highly agree with Atkinson & his statement. If we’re so concerned about one challenge currently, why shouldn’t we worry about other obstacles in the current time? Inequality of outcome can occur everywhere and Atkinson’s example of the leaky bucket experiment shows the importance of the rich contributing to the poor. This outcome can differ depending on what portion of their donations are going to those in poverty. Needless to say, the higher the wealthy distribute, the more this can ameliorate the inequality of income. By taking action to alter inequality of outcome, we can affect the circumstances surrounding the equality of opportunity tomorrow and for future generations. While it’s unclear what plans there are for further years down the line, the inequality of income must be reduced to move forward.

   Question #2:
   Equality of outcomes can be achieved through economic resources and through the right means of distributional efforts. Individuals with disabilities must also be accounted for as they require more need to certain necessities. By allocating funding programs or expanding a range of opportunities in education in other fields, the outcomes become greater. The lower income population has a chance to become more stable and prosper with the appropriate tools. Plus, unfair advantages cannot be given to those based on race or economic status, as this will deteriorate specific outcomes. The ‘Equality’ factor will be missing and thus this notion can’t be accomplished or even reduced.

   Question #3:
   Both videos share the story of Poverty while reflecting it in different ways simply due to location. Africa is shown to have a higher leading gini coefficient where levels of equality aren’t near to Uk’s rank. While in Africa that child was seen to be suffering more from a loss of food and clothing, compared to the male presented in the Uk video, this is all a result from various dimensions of inequality. In the long run, I fear that if conditions worsen, the children will be stuck in poverty and this can negatively affect their own future children & family if they fail to provide proper support.

   Question #4:
   There were two terms which I didn’t understand. First word unclear is: impute. This is used in the text stating, “..the application of the comprehensive definition of income indicates that we should impute an income” (Atkinson 31&32). The other word being espouse used in the sentence, “…the answer depends on which of two different conceptions we espouse’’ (Atkinson 35). Besides these vocabulary, I wanted to add a comment on how I’m in agreement with the author when it’s stated on the importance of distributional issues. I was dismayed that economists weren’t shedding interest on this, or about inequality. Statistics rely on distribution/redistribution and this in turn helps understand the workings of our economy.

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   • Hi Ilora, you bring very important topics to the discussion, particularly those related to between-group inequalities.
     On Question 3 you mention “I fear that if conditions worsen, the children will be stuck in poverty and this can negatively affect their own future children & family if they fail to provide proper support“. Who are the “They” here that you had in mind? Furthermore, what would proper support look like?
     On your question about “imputation”. In this context he means to assign a value to how much a home owner would be paying in a similar house if he were to be a renter. On your other question, espouse simply means “adopt”.

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     • Who I was refering to by “they” were those children in the video, or children in general who live in Poverty. Also, the proper support I mentioned meant basic necessities in order to survive. So a roof over one’s head, clothing, meals, water… anything you may need to remain alive.
       Thank you for those definitions, I understand the context in which it’s used now.

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   • Question #1:

     I agree with Anthony Atkinson since there are so many ways that inequality happens and can be interpreted that it is very important for people to understand it to the fullest extent possible. There is economical, racial, educational inequality and more. It was very interesting how Atkinson said why he partially agreed with Nobel Prize winner Robert Lucas in his argument about economic inequality. Atkinson idea was a society where nobody can afford to fly privately into space, and
     which everyone would be able to afford to buy their food from normal shops, It would be more unified and would have a better sense of mutual interests. Since distribution affects overall output. Understanding
     Revenue distribution is required to understand the workings of the economy. This was very interesting since thinking it from that perspective of people then having mutual interests and hobbies. This will lead to their being more raw human connection and not so robotic like it sometimes tends to be since we are shaped to be a certain way to appeal to others.

     Question #2:

     Equality of outcomes can be achieved if such things as education, jobs things as such could have equal opportunity. For example, the video of poverty in Malawi Nyamiti was a smart kid but due to the circumstances she lived in. This is the sad truth that most people live in. They have potential to be successful but not the tools to get there. If equality of outcomes can be achieved that will fix poverty, crime rates, and help mental illnesses. Mental health is a critical aspect that isn’t talked about much; this is an example of inequality. People living in poverty can’t afford to take care of this aspect of their life and this can affect their outcome.

     Question #3:

     The tremendous difference in both poverty in the UK and then poverty in Malawi, Africa are both unfortunate but drastically different cases of inequality. This is due to the fact that the UK is a “rich country” but due to inequality not all citizens live the same way. In Malawi kids suffer from extreme poverty of not even having shoes. To compare to the UK how there is government help for the citizens and different resources. In the rural areas of Malawi they don’t run with the same luck. They don’t have the same hopes of them being successful. I believe this goes back to the topic of the previous question: that of the outcome of people are different. In the UK the children have hope that they will be successful one day since they have easier to obtain resources. It is a sad truth that no child should be experiencing. No child should go with one meal a day such as Nyamiti did. This is essential to their growth. As Nyamiti said she sometimes can’t concentrate in school because she is hungry and tired. Now that’s another factor to her not giving her full potential.

     Question #4:

     I was a little bit confused with the graphs since I didn’t quite comprehend what “Gini coefficient” was. The part when Atkinson was talking about UKs economy I didn’t fully understand since they did use some economic terms. “How does the experience of the UK compare with the changes in inequality that have taken place in the US? It is often suggested that the situation in the UK is a pale imitation of what is happening in the US, and that the UK chart can be obtained by simply replacing “S” by “K” in the heading” (Atkinson, page 20). That’s all that was rather confusing for me.

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2. 1. Do you agree with Atkinson when he says that “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”? Why?

   I agree with Atkinson’s statement because the issue of income inequality is more complex than we might think so it will take lots of time to find a reasonable solution that is realistic for that country. In the US specifically, there is an income gap between men and women which according to Atkinson will remain as a problem for a long time. Also, there is the issue of families living in poverty having other members in the household size that can make their disposable income smaller than might be seen on paper so the distribution will not be accurate. The idea of increasing dispersion among an economy would help with income inequality but it will be harmful to those who are not skilled and might not be able to work more hours at their job to earn more. If we want to find a solution to solve inequality all the circumstances that the population living in poverty and those living in the top of the food chain have to be considered as well who will be gaining or losing what.

   2. How can equality of outcomes be achieved?
   Equality of outcomes can be achieved by the distribution of money from the rich to the poor in which the money given to the poor will be a significant amount even if they receive one-third of it and the rich will not see the money as much of a loss. Another solution would be to include the costs of necessary goods when looking at the consumption of the population living in poverty to understand that they are not doing well in terms of income inequality and receive more benefits. Another solution is to look at the income gap between men and women and to work on creating an equal income for both ends. A pathway to a solution is to look at the economic trends in the past to understand how to lessen income inequality and global inequality for a more successful economy amongst the country itself and all the countries collectively.

   3. In the two short-videos on poverty both discuss the same theme, but one looks at a case in one of the poorest countries in the world, and another one in the richest countries in the world. How is the poverty in one scenario different from the other? What do you think are the long-run implications of these differences for these children’s lives?

   Nyamiti from Malawi is a young girl who struggles day to day to have food to eat and to focus in school because she is starving. I noticed that in Nyamiti’s community they would help her family by giving leftover food and some money to get by out of pity. David from the UK is struggling in on of the richest countries, so he is more likely to be surrounded by peers that are very well off while he is struggling to survive on 5 pounds a week with his family. David and Nyamiti differ in that Nyamiti would not have shoes or uniform for school while David would have to worry about freezing winters. Both David and Nyamiti have very difficult circumstances but David is more likely to receive better help than Nyamiti due to the difference in the wealth of the two countries. In the long run, David will have a higher chance of a future where he can get out of poverty since he will have more opportunities given to him from school as opposed to Nyamiti who might not be able to get the same privilege.

   4. What is still unclear? Any concepts, terminology, or graphs in the reading that you had a hard time understanding? Any other comments or thoughts you would like to add?

   In the reading, I was confused about the term Gini coefficient because I did not know how the distribution inequality was put in one number and have it presented as a percentage confused me even more. I also had trouble with economics terminologies such as disposable income and household extended income. I feel like since I have no prior knowledge on the topic it was more difficult for me to read but I took my time to try my best to understand everything. I feel like I might have misunderstood certain concepts such as dispersion, distribution, and how slowing down earning dispersion in the UK can occur at the same time as income inequality speeding up.

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   • Hi Natalie, you bring great points to this discussion!
     On the issue of redistribution, how would this work in very poor countries, where even the “richest” are not that very far from poverty themselves?
     On the Gini Coefficient – as I mentioned in a previous reply – we will discuss that in more detail next week. But I did want the class to have this first “real world” contact with the term and how it is used so that you see the importance of the knowing what it means. This is the most popular measure of inequality out there. It varies from zero (no inequality) to 1 (where all income is concentrated in the hands of one).
     About taking your time with the reading, that’s the idea – particularly for these first readings it will be more challenging (quite normal to have to read it more than once – that’s how we learn). But, don’t worry! As we progress throughout the course the readings will become easier, because you will have accumulated knowledge of main concepts and definitions from previous readings and classes. On the issues of distribution, dispersion, etc I will make a note to discuss these on Wednesday, but also next week is all dedicated to these issues related to measurement.

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3. 1) Do you agree with Atkinson when he says that “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”? Why?

   Yes; I agree with Atkinson secondary to the fact that we will have to start now to have a chance for the future based on the current reality. The problem of inequality I believe is a problem that is systemic and is highly unlikely to change quickly, so if we are truly concerned about the future we must start today. A Lot of what we are thought plays a role in our inequalities secondary to the fact that we believe them, and what we believe shape our future. Many People including myself are amazed and proud of all the positive changes occurring in decreasing systemic racism and inequalities, but there is a lot of work to be done and it needs to be completed today to pave the way for the future.

   2) How can equality of outcomes be achieved?
   I believe “more” equality of outcomes can be achieved through offering equal education opportunity from the moment the child is born. Starting at an early age with children having access to books, tutors, medicine and a safe space to study is a foundational step to bridging the gap. Through peer mentoring, encouragement from a group of adults that are concerned with a child’s development will be an indisputable factor to long term success. Another way I believe equality can be achieved is through education of the parents to pass down to the children. We are no longer a strictly oral culture, but maybe discussing these talking points can manifest and compound change in the future,

   3) In the two short-videos on poverty both discuss the same theme, but one looks at poverty in one of the poorest countries in the world, and another looks at poverty in the richest countries in the world. How is the poverty in one scenario different from the other? What do you think are the long-run implications of these differences for these children’s lives?

   Poverty is each scenario is completely different. Poverty can be graded on severity. The children in one video from the UK all had uniforms and looked clean. The child displayed in the one video from Malawi was living in a village without running water/ bathroom or shoes and school uniform; This is clearly worse, as the video started they are multidimensional poor. 5 pounds a week in the UK, vs putting unused flour in plastic bags is a clear enough difference. Living in an impoverished country, poverty will not be better than a rich country. The reason is simple; different standards make all the difference in the world. An example that I can relate to is America vs Mexico. America is a rich country and there is a lot of poverty, but the government will step in and say there are minimums that all citizens need to have. In Mexico, or any developing or impoverished county there is no government assistance. The long-run implications of these differences for these children’s lives will make them more appreciative of the simpler things and beauties of life I believe, but to truly know is not known. Many people face poverty and use that as a platform to start from and where not to return to, while others may feel that this may be the best that they can do, but with that being said it definitely affects a child’s state of mind and values.

   4) What is still unclear? Any concepts, terminology or graphs in the reading that you had a hard time understanding? Any other comments or thoughts you would like to add?
   I thought the videos were great, we don’t see enough of the cross culture poverty to appreciate what we have living in the US. Inequality unfortunately is a common norm not only in cultures, but in education, salaries, gender, workplace and all the things we do and love as a human. My comment or question is this something that can truly be fixed and how much energy should we put into this? A problem like this is systemic and there is an alternate system who may like the way this is already, so I ask how do we fix that, and would those people want it fixed? We would all have to work together to reach a future of equality and peace among all cultures and societies in the US.

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   • Great comments, Pascal!
     On question 2 you mention the importance of parental education towards achieving greater equality. However, in order for equality to be the outcome education in the parents generation would need to be more egalitarian – that is, we should have a society with overall high levels of education, right? Or did you not mean here formal education, but education more broadly defined – as any type of skill or knowledge?
     One your third comment you bring an important comparison between Mexico and the US. I would just like to make one clarification. Although Mexico is of course a country with much lower income levels than the US, government assistance does exist – the most famous example being the Conditional Cash Transfer Program Prospera – originally named Progresa. This program was actually considered very successful and exported to many other countries around the world.

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4. 1. I agree with Atkinson because what happens in the present, affects our future. Focusing on inequality outcome today can project the equality opportunity of tomorrow. “The beneficiaries of inequality of outcome today can transmit an unfair ad-vantage to their children tomorrow” (Atkinson Inequality what can be done 2015:11) Atkinson explains that what is relevant today, will impact the next generation. Also informing us that the current situation can create an unfair or perhaps an unstable situation for future generations. Showing that caring and worrying about the now is not only important but essential for us. If the level of inequality is controlled, perhaps the next generation will be a fair one. Atkinson in chapter one mentions that the level of inequality in present day is excessive, and that was in the year 2015. In present day, in the year 2020, we still see the inequality, and perhaps it has become worst. If we can fix what is happening in the present, perhaps our children will live better lives. I agree that we must be concerned about inequality outcome today.

   2. Equality of outcomes can be achieved is specific variables and many circumstances do not play a role in the resulting outcome. Political vies, and political doctrines play a role in inequality, therefore if we change political aspects, we can succeed in having equality of opportunity. Atkinson mentions two books, “The Price of Inequality” by Joseph Stiglitz and “The Spirit Level” by Kate Pickett. These books have influenced his perspective. Atkinson informs us that the books discuss important factors that increased inequality. The same factors, if changed can create equality of opportunity. The factors range from social cohesion, increased crime, economic issues, health issues, and many social problems that we deal with within our society. if the government can create more programs for those categorized in a lower level income household, it can create an equal opportunity of education, and a better future, and not just for those that can afford a good education. If our jail system can be “fixed” perhaps the rate of crime will decrease. Crime will decrease in many neighborhoods if there are more programs funded by the state to help children and young teens stay out of the streets. Perhaps our government can fund hospitals more and have up to date equipment. If variables can be altered, then perhaps we can achieve equality of outcomes on many levels.

   3. To be honest, both videos really made me think about poverty in a different way. Watching both videos was truly a humbling experience. I feel for the children in the videos, and made me question, how can I make a difference? Made me wishful, wishing I can help others in similar situations. However, to answer the question, both videos discussed poverty but portrayed them in different ways. One video showed poverty in a rural area, and the other showed poverty in a city that is known for its wealth. Malawi is represented to have a severe case of poverty. Where children lack their basic needs to survive, such as food, clean water, and clothes. It is truly an extreme case of poverty. Nyamiti had to use her uncle’s toilet and complete general labor work with an empty stomach was truly heart breaking. Going to school with no shoes and having a lack of focus because she lacked nutrition, represents the sever stage of poverty. She had to eat her school lunch, and that was her breakfast, lunch, and dinner until the next day. It really is an eye opener and shows the viewer the inequality of poverty. Made me feel that perhaps I have more than what I really need. David and his family have a low income. Where they plan for essential needs, and comparing Nyamiti’s situation, her family doesn’t have an income due to no jobs. David and his family perhaps have an advantage living in a city, where they may receive help from others, even their government. David’s situation exposes poverty in inner cities and acknowledges that poverty is not bias to many variables such as ethnicity, religion, age, gender, and many more. The long run implications to these children’s lives can lead to ill health, death, and decrease of population. These children can also lack education because of their circumstances. A long-term consequence can be mental disorders and affect their cognitive development.

   4. I would like to learn more about the chart on page 22. I found it interesting when Atkinson compares the changes in inequality within the UK and the US. It was alarming to know the patterns occurring in the UK are emerging within the US. Atkinson informs us that we should focus on the “changes over time”. Explaining that the levels of inequality cannot be measured by income because they are measured differently in the two countries. However, when looking at the chart where income equality is measured in different countries, we get a glimpse of how severe the issue is. The chart of poverty rate and the percentage of total gross income seemed all over the place, and it took me a while to understand.

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   • Great points, James. On your first point of how to achieve more equality of opportunity I’m guessing you are you thinking about how that can be done in the US, correct? Would the same recommendations apply if we were thinking about Global equality of opportunity? You also mention a key factor related to the long-run implications of improper access to developmental resources during childhood.
     You mention that it was “alarming to know the patterns occurring in the UK are emerging within the US”. Did you expect the US to be much more egalitarian than the UK? I ask because this is a very common supposition, considering the ideas surrounding the notion of the “American Dream”. The chart you mention that seemed all over the place, is this in reference to Figure 1.4 on page 26? I explained this Figure in more detail on my PowerPoint presentation with voiceover. Hopefully that helped clarify that a bit, but we can return to that on Wednesday’s virtual meeting.

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5. 1. I do agree with Atkinson on this statement. True equality of opportunity cannot be achieve unless we are concerned abot inequality of outcome. Atkinson explains this when he talks of richer countries like the US who have waged a war on poverty for many years, but where unacceptable levels of poverty for a country so rich still remain. This is because inequality of outcome lead to inequality of opportunity. Those who advocate for solely equality of income fail to consider circumstances outside of an individual’s control that sort of derail them. Some of these circumstances include disease, natural disaster, systemic racism, sexism, mental health, etc. For example, a man and a woman who were born middle class, with parents more or less earning the same income, would technically be starting of at the same level playing field, but I would argue that at the very list it would be harder for the woman to equal success (assuming that they make similar life decisions). Women are paid less than men and face sexism in almost every space they occupy

   2. As Atkinson mentions, I think we need to address distribution. Distribution of wealth would ensure that those affected by circumstances out of their control get some much needed help. Atkinson talks of a society where everyone can afford to buy the food they need and no one can afford to travel privately to space, as opposed to today’s society where few can afford to travel to space and many cannot afford the food they need. For this to happen, income inequality would have to be lowered through increased taxation on the rich so that the extra money can be used towards efforts to help those affected by circumstances. There also needs to be a bigger emphasis placed on the benefits of addressing equality of crime, such as it being able to deter crime, because it needs to be sold to the public the same way equality of opportunity is.

   3. Both videos shows very different scenarios of poverty. The first video which showed child poverty in Malawi, and this was a much more extreme poverty than the UK video, where the kids were poor relative to to the rest of the country. For me, this showed that for a child to succeed in school they need much more than just the minimum amount of food or materials required to attend school. The kids in the UK video are undoubtedly better off than the kids in Malawi, but that doesn’t mean that their situation is ideal and that nothing should be done about it. The sad thing is that the differences in their situations is most likely used against them to sort o justify their situation. One of the kids in the UK video mentioned how poverty is portrayed as something that only takes place in Africa, which reminded me of how often people are shamed for complaining and told to “look at the kids in Africa,” as a way to justify inaction. In a similar way, for people living in poorer countries there is this narrative that richer countries, primarily the United States, it’s some kind of paradise and that only there will things get better, therefore justifying the inaction of those in a position to help.

   4. I was confused about the limitations of the Gini coefficient that Atkinson explains. Atkinson talks about how many researches don’t take “distributional weights” when using the Gini coefficient and how they don’t realize they are adding extra money to a person when doing the calculations (or something along those lines). I would also like to learn more about figure 1.3 which compares the Gini coefficient of countries around the world. In terms of income inequality, health care and other issues, I have heard the US be compared to Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Does Atkinson believe that their Gini coefficient is low enough to be acceptable? On that same topic, what would Atkinson consider an acceptable Gini coefficient?

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   • Hi Eliezer,
     Your point about the issue of these comparisons legitimizing inaction and, hence, the status quo is very important. Deprivation has many faces. One of the points of this exercise is to get us thinking about equality in a global perspective and the importance of location – both nationally and internationally – in determining our life chances. This is something we will discuss a lot throughout the semester.
     On your point about the Gini coefficient these factors will become clearer next week once we discuss in more detail how to measure inequality. How low is an acceptable Gini is a subjective matter, and depends really your ideas of justice. On the issue of “an acceptable Gini” it is important to remember that the Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality only. It is not a measure of poverty, therefore we can have countries that are quite poor (such as East Temor) that have the same Gini of very rich countries. East Temor for example has the same Gini as Denmark – about 28.7 (2014-2017 data)

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6. Question #1:
   I agree with Atkinson and his statement in his book because inequality of outcome affects future generations as well as the current ones. For example, on page 12 he speaks about the consequences that it is causing today’s society. Some of the examples that he gives is that individuals lack the feeling of belonging in a community which causes them to not develop relationships, ill-health, increase in crime, teenage pregnancy, health problems, etc. This is important because if we don’t focus on inequality of outcome today, then the future generations will just be living the same things as them and the societal problems will not be solved. If inequality of outcome is reduced in today’s society, then future generations will live a different life with equal opportunities.
   Question #2:
   Equality of outcomes can be achieved when outside circumstances do not play a role in the resulting outcome of the individual. For example, if a student works extremely hard throughout school in order to get into an Ivy League school and gets in, that would be considered an example of equality of outcome. On the other hand, if an individual works hard, but gets into an Ivy League school because their parent was a student there or works there, that would be considered inequality of outcome because they have an advantage that another student might not have. Equality of outcomes can be achieved when everyone starts at the same spot and doesn’t have an outside source that affects the outcome.
   Question #3:
   The poverty scenario is extremely different in both videos because in the video of the young girl in Malawi you can see that they lack basic needs like food, water, and a home whereas in the UK video the young boy has access to basic needs that she didn’t. For example, in Malawi, they do not have access to healthcare while in the UK the young boy has access to it through government help. The two scenarios differ because the young girl is in extreme poverty and the young boy in the UK is just about under the poverty line. In other words, his family can afford most basic needs, like food and water, but her family can’t. The long-run implications on these children’s differences is that one is always going to be experiencing inequality of outcomes more than the other because of the situations that they are in. The young girl’s family from Malawi couldn’t even afford her uniform let alone books, so she is not going to have the opportunity to succeed and get a full education oppose to the young boy that can get financial help from schools and the government.
   Question #4:
   I like how the author touched the two concepts of poverty and inequality and how you provided the two videos above to help us understand how poverty and inequality differ and the different POVs on poverty from two different countries. I would also like to learn more about the graph that is on page 22 because it was a little difficult to read and understand.

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   • Great observations, Yinelis.
     We discussed this extensively in the previous semester. One of the points of the two videos e to think of opportunities in a global perspective. Get us thinking about the idea of a “birth lottery” and the role of global location.
     On your question about graph 22 I think your confusion came from not knowing what a Gini coefficient is, correct? The Gini is the most popular a measure of inequality. It varies from zero (no inequality) to 1 (where all income is concentrated in the hands of one). I will explain in more detail how to calculate the Gini coefficient next week, once we cover issues related to measurement of inequality.

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7. 1) I agree with Atkinson when he says, “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”. How are we supposed to start thinking about our future having equality when our present still has inequality. We must deal with the obstacles at hand first and then over time change our way of living. Atkinson talks about us having a cause and effect relationship. What we do now will effect future generations to come. He states,”The issue of intergenerational justice has therefore greater priority than when we believed that ‘life could only get better,’ and it should be one of the factors by which we judge the choice of measures to reduce the current inequality of income.” He believes in the idea of fairness for our future generations and new beginnings start now.

   2) Honestly I feel like this question makes you think a lot. The first thought that popped in my head was communism. Communism is designed to allow the poor to rise up and attain financial and social status equal to that of the middle-class landowners. This sounded like a good idea at the time but then I realized that this doesn’t benefit everyone. If someone goes to college and gets a good job they would be satisfied with their pay but communism would just make it so that everyone gets paid the same. Right now in our society a doctor and a janitor get paid different amounts. A doctor would obviously get paid more but with communism your job tittle wouldn’t matter. Everyone gets paid an equal amount. Although this may be unfair it may also be a solution.

   3) While I was watching both videos it made me have a different perspective towards both scenarios. In the UK video it stated, “when people think of poverty they think of Africa and places so far away but its in our country as well”. When I heard this it made me realize that our world has been in a crisis for so long that we don’t even notice it anymore. We’ve known that people have been going through poverty but the difference between the two videos was that the poverty in Malawi was definetely more noticable than in the UK. Nyamiti lived in Malawi and said that it would be very hard for her to focus sometimes due to the fact that she wouldn’t eat anything until the school would provide her with porridge. She only got one meal per day and also had problems at home. Based on these videos I understood that even though the world is going through poverty, there are places that have it worse than others.

   4) While I was doing this assignment I felt so overwhelmed and I started to cry 🙁 I didn’t understand the reading like I had hoped I would but as I got to the questions I felt relief. Although I struggled with some parts of the assignment I still enjoyed the questions.

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   • Hi Allison,
     You bring some very important points.
     First, in the reading Atkinson states that he is not pro abolishing inequality, but that the current levels are too high. The key answer here would be how much inequality is acceptable. Going back to your example, you argue that it makes sense that a doctor makes more than a janitor. But how much more is fair? 2x more? 5x, 10x, 80x…? The other question I want you to think about is if equality in all aspects is achieved in Communism? We will discuss this once we get to Branko Milanovic’s book “The haves and Have-nots”
     On the reading, don’t lose heart. They will be challenging, particularly at first, but that is the idea. With the lectures, online meetings and assignments things will start to become much easier, you will see.

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8. 1) Equality of opportunity is the idea that people will get the same equal terms or in other words fair competition. Whereas inequality of outcome is when certain individuals don’t have the same level of power, wealth, health, education and more. To achieve equality of opportunity and give individuals a fair shot in succeeding, inequality of outcome needs to be addressed beforehand, some may have an unfair disadvantage. “Most people would find it unacceptable to ignore completely what happens after the race” (Atkinson 2015:10) meaning that people may go through different obstacles during the “race”. For Atkinson, he had three reasons as to why we need to be concerned about inequality outcome today, the first being that even if the equal opportunity was to exist there may be some difficulty some will go through. The second reason he gives a swimming competition as an example at the end of the race there is only one prize winner, the race is fair but the prize structure is not. Final reason is the concern of affecting the next generation’s equal opportunity, social mobility, income, family backgrounds can have a downfall outcome for the future. Which is why I agree with Atkinson.

   2) Increased inequality comes from crime, health, teenage pregnancy, generational issues, and more. According to Christine Lagarde, macroeconomic stability promotes less inequality. It is essential for high and sustainable growth. Equality of outcomes can be achieved by money distribution from the rich to the poor, finding programs for those wanting an education can have an effect and better outcome. Another way to think about it is through politics, a government can give equal opportunity by providing universal access to all the needs that are needed to have a substantial outcome.

   3) In both videos, it shows children living below poverty levels according to where they live. The level of poverty in one scenario is different from the other because the story of Nyamiti takes place in one of the poorest countries and the other in the UK one of the richest. Both were lacking basic fundamental needs for example the young girl would lack nutrition by only having one meal a day, no uniform or utensils to have a successful day in school she would also wake up very early to do chores. The young boy in the UK was lacking heat in his own home which caused him to feel down about himself because his living conditions weren’t enough to keep him comfortable. He wasn’t like he said “normal people”. Although it is clear that one goes through more than the other they both still are living below the poverty line. The long-run implications can lead to unhealthy lifestyles, lack of education, having history repeat itself for future generations.

   4) It would be great for everyone to have the same opportunity because it would give people an equal shot. It is known that the outcome would be different being that there are people with certan talents and go through different hardships. Although I answered question 3 I would like to discuss more on equality of outcomes because I know what the chapter says but to my understanding it didn’t talk about the negative aspect of it. In the PowerPoint, you mentioned inequality of opportunity and outcome but equality of outcome seems impossible and in my opinion, may lead to more crime. I am not too sure if the book addressed this and I perhaps missed it but I would like to discuss this a little bit more.

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9. 1) I agree with Atkinson when he states that “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”. The inequality occurring in society today comes in various forms anywhere, from the slightest stereotypes to social norms created throughout history. We need to take on the issue now as it has been built on a foundation for many decades. Taking care of the injustice occurring today will benefit our future generations so they don’t experience injustice from society or the government. We have gotten so far with gender equality, why stop? With the great help of World War II, females started to get comfortable outside of the role society placed them in. Although there is a very long way to go, such as pay equality despite an individual’s preference. We can’t keep focusing on the few things that “bring equality” to our society. We will miss more than half of minorities facing injustice in the system because of the inequality if we keep focusing on the mediocre things that have changed. The only ways females can vote, drive, work, and simply live are because of our brave ancestors that fought and didn’t settle. The future is in our hands, we need to urge for a change.

   2)Equality of outcomes can be achieved by a functional and aware government. The government can contribute by providing free education and support for lower-income families. For example, renovating a low-income area can provide more jobs and opportunities. This topic is relatable, so when I think of this question I ask myself “how can I be equal?”. As a Female, Immigrant, and person of color, education has played a big part. Equality does not mean giving more money to the poor, it means providing everyone with the same opportunities with no restrictions. Every issue has it’s root. We cannot only blame one person for this, this is a systematic issue. Because women were taught not to pursue the same careers as kids; Because people of color didn’t have access to the same academic help, society is built on that foundation.

   3)In “The Story Of Nyamiti”, we get to experience the daily struggle of a young Mphambala villager. Nyamiti’s struggles include finance, famine, and the lack of educational support. Because Malawi is one of the poorest countries, with more than 50% of its population struggling to escape the poverty line, poverty is more common there. However, in David’s story, England is not one of the poorest countries in the world. This is the big difference between being poor in a poor country and being poor in a rich country. Both living situations are not something anyone should be placed in. However, a country that does not have a high poverty rate has the resources to help the ones who are unstable. Unlike Malawi’s poverty rate that only keeps increasing. This decreases the chance of Nyamiti escaping the poverty line. If she was placed in David’s shoes, it would allow her to seek better opportunities.

   4)A thought I had while watching and comparing the videos of the two kids living in poverty was, how different my life is in America compared to Tibet. Although my experiences do not compare to Nyamiti, coming from a poor country with no freedom affected me a lot. Coming to America my family was not any richer, we just had access to more concepts such a free education.

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10. 1.- I completely agree with Atkinson’s statement simply because the concept of inequality outcome is deeper than most people believe. All governments and systems around the world are built around some form of inequality which ultimately results in ridiculously huge gaps between the statuses of many different people. When it came to going over Atkinson’s statement, he is obviously right because it doesn’t make sense for someone to be worried about the future when they don’t understand the present, in other words the future is only a product of the present. Due to inequality being an overall issue in our system in many forms, if anything seeks to be changed, people would have to act now since this issue already reaches deep into the way we view things.

    2.- Based on how our government and many others tend to work, achieving equality of outcomes is still a bit out of our reach and a work-in-progress. However, there are two solutions that I personally believe can begin to create a change into achieving equality of outcome. One way could be to re-calculate the way benefits are given to those in need. As in factoring in their necessities to better realize that they are barely living off of what they are given so that they are given more instead of the bare minimum. This ranges from education, food, tutoring, healthcare etc. Another way equality of outcome can possibly be achieved is by attempting to increase the tax on the rich. By doing so, that money could be distributed among those in need and could potentially decrease the gap between the rich and the poor overtime.

    3.- Based on watching both videos on poverty in Africa and the United Kingdom, it was clear to see that one scenario was far worse than the other. The way poverty is in Africa makes one realize how grateful we are to be in the situation we are in now and praise how strong and determined those children are to be able to continue school over there. From looking at how poverty is in the United Kingdom, the children in that video were nowhere near as bad as the children in Africa. One can even assume that their scenarios are different because one location has forever struggled with inequality from the start, leading to poverty and the other is possibly in poverty due to the individual decisions and efforts of some people. I just found it interesting how the level of poverty for a child in the U.K is what a child in Africa may see as comfortable.

    4.- Overall the reading and the videos were very informative and interested to the point where it opened my view on how other places in the world differ from us here in the United States. Two things I had trouble understanding in the reading was the term “Utilitarianism” and the explanation on the “leaky bucket experiment”. When I reached this part of the reading I found myself having to go over it at an attempt on understanding it better. As for a question I’ve always wondered; what is stopping the government on intervening with the cause of inequality and certain people simply just having too much money for themselves?

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11. 1. Do you agree with Atkinson when he says that “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”? Why?

    Yes, I agree with Atkinson because we need to understand the outcomes of inequality in order to progress into a world of equal opportunities. As a result of today’s society, there is increased crime, lack of social cohesion, ill health, teenage pregnancy, obesity, and other social problems. If people had an equal opportunity, there would be fewer social problems. The rate of inequality is connected to the distribution of wealth. The people can’t afford the basic needs to survive in a world where the wealthy has double their share of the wealth.

    2. How can equality of outcomes be achieved?

    Equality of outcomes can be achieved through an even playing field, equal distribution of prizes, and intergenerational transmissions that can generate equality of opportunity for future generations. We would have to change the object analysis and unit of analysis, allowing for different groups or individuals to have access to an even field. We would have to redistribute the wealth, allowing for people of lower “status” to have equal opportunities. Money is one of the biggest limitations people experience, and if we can redistribute the wealth, where the top one per cent earn double their share, we can provide equal outcomes of life.

    3. In the two short-videos on poverty both discuss the same theme, but one looks at a case in one of the poorest countries in the world, and another one in the richest countries in the world. How is poverty in one scenario different from the other? What do you think are the long-run implications of these differences for these children’s lives?

    Poverty in Malawi is different because they have limited resources and most of the children can’t afford food or uniform. It is a different scenario than compared to the UK, where it is one of the richest countries and where the quality of life and purchasing power is higher. You expect for a rich country to take care of their citizens, but so many children and families live below the poverty line in the UK. Both Children were lacking the necessities to succeed. In the long run, the child in the UK has more resources so they can escalate themselves to a higher social and economic standing as compared to the child from Malawi. If the child from Malawi had access to more resources such as clean water and food, she could succeed.

    4. What is still unclear? Any concepts, terminology or graphs in the reading that you had a hard time understanding? Any other comments or thoughts you would like to add?

    I would say that I am still confused about

    Whose wealth are we distributing?

    Where does the wealth go?

    Who can divide it?

    What the effects of the distribution of wealth?

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12. 1. I agree with Atkinson in regard to the importance of inequality of outcome because people can start on the same level of the playing field, but the outcomes can be unpredictable no matter the equality of opportunity. As Atkinson said, “we cannot ignore those for whom the outcome is hardship,” therefore it is important to acknowledge every individual’s journey as unique (11). In order to one day guarantee that everyone has an equal opportunity, I think the focus needs to be shifted to how, as Atkinson describes, distribution is skewed in our society. For example, a low-income first-generation college student is as capable of getting into a prestigious college as a wealthy first-generation student. One’s starting point does not define their capabilities, but whatever happens along the way should not be held against them. In addition, no matter what changes occur in their lives, whether the low-income student goes on to graduate school or the wealthy student drops out, they should be guaranteed equal help, prizes, or rewards.

    2. Equality of outcomes can be achieved through equal distribution of prizes. Atkinson uses the Leaky Bucket Experiment to show how outcomes for the rich and poor differ. If a rich person loses money, the outcome wouldn’t affect them because they’ll be awarded with a hefty income, in comparison to the poor person who is depending on that rich donor’s money. Although, today’s forms of distribution are skewed, Atkinson’s proposal seems reasonable. He stated “[A] society in which no one could afford to travel privately into space, and in which everyone could afford to buy their food from ordinary shops, would be more cohesive and have a greater sense of shared interests” (11). If everyone’s outcomes were uniform and fair, society would be very different.

    3. The two videos show how poverty truly can be interpreted in many different ways, depending on the location. In Malawi, the young girl lives in extremely low conditions: she sleeps on the floor, uses the bathroom in small structure outside of her home, can’t afford uniform for school, and only has one meal a day. In comparison, the boy from the UK mentions extreme budgeting amongst the family and no heat at home which. I think their circumstances can change in positive directions with the proper support. I envision the girl excelling in her studies and achieving her dream to be a Policewoman. She can hopefully network with her teachers and parents of the children she goes to school with who are more well off, and hopefully continue to meet people who will see her capabilities. The boy in the UK can hopefully get a job once he is of age and help support his family. Their journeys might differ in levels of effort, perseverance, and motivation, but they can definitely do things to better their future.

    4. I think the Atkinson reading is a bit dense, but I just continued to re-read things over and got a much better understanding of the text. I would say once the statistics came in, I felt a bit discouraged to read because there was just a lot of information and it was hard to understand the graphs. I would definitely like to know more about what exactly the Gini coefficient is. Is it some kind of program used to measure something? I will say the PowerPoint definitely helped me understand the graphs much better!

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13. 1. I agree with Atkinson when he said that. We cannot move on in the future if we do not understand what held us back in the past. He mentioned how inequality is embedded in social and economic structures. Those very structures affected the generations of the past and the ones to come because to understand how inequality works, we need to look at how they were perpetuated systematically over time. People also need to feel that they have a fair chance of achieving what they go after when they are afforded the opportunity as well.

    2. Equality of outcomes can be achieved if the rewards for achieving opportunities were the same for everyone. Also, equality of outcomes can be achieved if the path to the outcome was equally challenging. This would mean making it so that people’s individual differences such as race, gender and socioeconomic backgrounds or having connections, and or education background are not factored into whether or not a person is considered more deserving of an achievement. It can also be achieved through proper and even distribution of opportunities making sure that even if one does have a sort of advantage over another to make the individual at a disadvantage have the proper tools and resources to level up and be on the same level.

    3. The first short video looked at poverty in one of the poorest countries in the world. The young child in this scenario is explaining the issues she faces without getting enough food with not being able to concentrate in school and that the only meal eaten is the one given at school which has to hold until the next day when she can eat again. The second video looked at poverty in the UK, one of the richest countries. The boy, David, mentioned the financial struggle with what his family has to survive off of and also his home living situation and its impact on his health. The second video wanted to bring attention to the fact that there can be people living in or close to poverty even if you personally aren’t experiencing it and drawing away from the idea that poverty only exists in ‘poor’ countries. Both of the children could take their childhood situations as a form of motivation or even as an example to become better situated for themselves and raise awareness for their future.

    4. I would not say I am unclear but, to be be more insightful on the issue of poverty and if it is the distribution of wealth in countries that is more of the problem then it would be important to understand how the people with the most wealth could be convinced that the right thing to do is to help and give back in ways that would be most beneficial to people living in poverty. By this I mean that, instead of hoarding wealth to reach some sort of title or status, donate, give back to and or create programs that would fund the very communities that they make capital off of, because if it weren’t for the people contributing with their earned income they would possibly not be where they are economically.

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14. Questioned #1

    Yes, I agreed with Atkinson we need to focus on what we can do today rather than tomorrow. Today Global inequality issue is the source of the unjust system the next generation will experience. It is on us today’s generation to solve or help reduce the problem of today which will be the result of tomorrow’s outcomes. Therefore, if we are not focused on what we can do today our lives and the next generation’s lives determines on it. We need to make today’s progress count by using our voice to tackle the inequality of today by advocating for change and increased in investment in education and skills opportunities for all.

    1. How can equality of outcomes be achieved?

    The equality of outcomes can be achieved if there is an increased investment in education and skills opprtunities. A person’s income is an important determinate of their social position by which it has a powerful effect on the types of experience they may encounter in society. A person income can limits their social mobility and make it harder for them to generate wealth and live a better standard life. Therefore, income inequality is problematic to society because it continues to increase the racial wealth gap between people in society. The Inequality in the distribution of income and resources undermines the educational opportunities and achievements of people from a lower socio-economic background. Education attainment is the key factor to a good occupation, income, and wealth. The Inequality in income and resources in society has a long term effect on students’ educational outcomes, such as developing academics and technical skills that would prepare them for the workforce and make them productive members of society. Moreover, All individuals should be treated equally especially people with disabilities. Resources and opportunities should distribute equally among all members of society. For example, a person with special needs should not pay more for a good or service due to their condition.

    2. In the two short-videos on poverty both discuss the same theme, but one looks at a case in one of the poorest countries in the world, and another one in the richest countries in the world. How is poverty in one scenario different from the other?

    Poverty in Malawi is more visual than in Uk. For example, watching nyamiti it was clear to see that her family could not meet their basic needs due to their living condition and her mother was unable to get her uniform for school. She did not have any school bag nor books but a piece of paper in hand for her classes. The school was not in a healthy condition. The meal she had for lunch did not meet the nutrition chart. While on the other hand, In UK the boy had a nice uniform and was able to go to a decent school. The video In Malawi demonstrates how children are living in extreme poverty that is beyond family control. Children are more likely to suffer from malnutrition and not able to attend school due to their poverty level.

    3. What do you think are the long-run implications of these differences in these children’s lives?
    The long-run implications of these children’s lives are the fact that child education can be influenced by their parent’s social status and can affect the child’s educational outcomes. For example, the child in the UK had an issue with food and heater. This can affect his ability to focus in school and be productive. Also, the child in Africa had an issue with clothes for school and food. This did have an influence on her productivity in the class because she will usually fall asleep because of hunger. If the parents are of lower economic status, upward social mobility can be difficult for these individuals, either by their parent’s status or their economic status. The child is more likely to fall in the same poverty or lower economic level as their parents. Therefore, the child is likely to struggle with upward mobility and make it more difficult for the child to generate wealth or be a productive member of society.

    4. What is still unclear? Any concepts, terminology, or graphs in the reading that you had a hard time understanding? Any other comments or thoughts you would like to add?

    So far the reading is clear and understanding. Atkinson touch on some important points and I like the fact that she questioned a lot of issues. If everyone in society had the same advantages and access to opportunity and resources the world would have been a better place. For example, the educational system has failed people of a lower economic class especially public schools due to less funding. Students with low-income parents attend schools located in poorer urban or rural districts. This result in lower standard education lacked proper equipment and a lack of a good learning environment. This shows how Power and Inequality are structure within the school system. Income and wealth are what created the class structure in a society that has a great influence on how the school system runs. Growing up my public school struggle with funding which result in the school lacking a lot of resources such as computers, qualified teachers, and huge class sizes.

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15. 1. Do you agree with Atkinson when he says that “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”? Why?
    I agree with Atkinson on how we should be concerned about the inequality of outcome today for there to be equal opportunities in the future. The distribution of income after the change in the labor market and technology increased the gap between the rich and poor people. As Atkinson points out, US inequality is the distribution to the 1% from earning most of the profits, leaving the rest of the country unable to provide for a living. Inequality outcomes of today have created poverty for generations. Making the future more difficult to be able to solve the issues faced today.

    2. How can equality of outcomes be achieved?
    Equality of outcomes can be achieved through the distribution of economic relief for those who don’t have enough to provide for their families. The increase in taxes for the rich can help pay out many of the necessary services of those below the poverty line. Redistributing the money for there to be a balance could allow people to have an education and an equal opportunity. Equality outcomes can be achieved to a certain degree because there is no perfect equality, however, the help from the 1% changes the family backgrounds giving people a better way to live in the world.

    3. In the two short-videos on poverty both discuss the same theme, but one looks at a case in one of the poorest countries in the world, and another one in the richest countries in the world. How is poverty in one scenario different from the other? What do you think are the long-run implications of these differences in these children’s lives?
    The video showed poverty in two different countries from the stories of kids. In these short videos, poverty is illustrated in two different levels. The child from the UK lives below the poverty line but has more than a little girl. The story of the little girl in Africa is different from the boy because she does not have health care or any basic human needs in where she could live a healthy life. Her story, however, is not an excuse to say that David isn’t living a difficult life in the UK. His story is what’s to live in a rich country when his family’s income is not enough to pay all the necessities.

    4. What is still unclear? Any concepts, terminology or graphs in the reading that you had a hard time understanding? Any other comments or thoughts you would like to add?
    The book talks about reducing the taxes on the people but how would the reduction of taxes be helpful for the country overall. I wonder if instead the reducing taxes for the whole population there would be a change in the amount of contribution. As the book talked about distribution from the rich to the people who are in need. Reading the book when politicians talk about cutting taxes is usually benefiting the rich rather than the poor. Some of the words in the text were a bit confusing when discussing the background of families and inequality outcomes.

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16. 1. Do you agree with Atkinson when he says that “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”? Why?
    I agree with Atkinson on how we should be concerned about the inequality of outcome today for there to be equal opportunities in the future. The distribution of income after the change in the labor market and technology increased the gap between the rich and poor people. As Atkinson points out, US inequality is the distribution to the 1% from earning most of the profits, leaving the rest of the country unable to provide for a living. Inequality outcomes of today have created poverty for generations. Making the future more difficult to be able to solve the issues faced today.

    2. How can equality of outcomes be achieved?
    Equality of outcomes can be achieved through the distribution of economic relief for those who don’t have enough to provide for their families. The increase in taxes for the rich can help pay out many of the necessary services of those below the poverty line. Redistributing the money for there to be a balance could allow people to have an education and an equal opportunity. Equality outcomes can be achieved to a certain degree because there is no perfect equality, however, the help from the 1% changes the family backgrounds giving people a better way to live in the world.

    3. In the two short-videos on poverty both discuss the same theme, but one looks at a case in one of the poorest countries in the world, and another one in the richest countries in the world. How is poverty in one scenario different from the other? What do you think are the long-run implications of these differences in these children’s lives?
    The video showed poverty in two different countries from the stories of kids. In these short videos, poverty is illustrated in two different levels. The child from the UK lives below the poverty line but has more than a little girl. The story of the little girl in Africa is different from the boy because she does not have health care or any basic human needs in where she could live a healthy life. Her story, however, is not an excuse to say that David isn’t living a difficult life in the UK. His story is what’s to live in a rich country when his family’s income is not enough to pay all the necessities.

    4. What is still unclear? Any concepts, terminology or graphs in the reading that you had a hard time understanding? Any other comments or thoughts you would like to add?
    The book talks about reducing the taxes on the people but how would the reduction of taxes be helpful for the country overall. I wonder if instead the reducing taxes for the whole population there would be a change in the amount of contribution. As the book talked about distribution from the rich to the people who are in need. Reading the book when politicians talk about cutting taxes is usually benefiting the rich rather than the poor. Some of the words in the text were a bit confusing when discussing the background of families and inequality outcomes.

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17. 1.Do you agree with Atkinson when he says that “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”? Why?
    I agree with Atkinson when he says that “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today” because how we live now can affect how we live in the future. If we go day by day thinking we will always have an equal opportunity then there will be no room for mistake or even room for competition. There are days that everything is not going to go our way and there are days that it is going to go our way. We wouldn’t know where to begin to prove ourselves.

    2.How can equality of outcomes be achieved?
    Equality of outcomes be achieved by minimizing or removing material differences between individuals or families within a community, which usually includes moving income or capital from the wealthy to the poorer, or introducing other steps to encourage equality of status. There should be equal opportunities even to people who are not able to afford certain things as a person who is. For example education, health care, a job and also clothes. There should be more organizations to help young kids, teens and adults to stay on the right path so they are able to get an equal opportunity as their peers.

    3.In the two short-videos on poverty both discuss the same theme, but one looks at at a case in one of the poorest countries in the world, and another one in the richest countries in the world. How is the poverty in one scenario different from the other? What do you think are the long-run implications of these differences for these children’s lives?
    Both videos have similar themes but they are quite different. One scenario is different from the other because the child who lives in Africa has to literally wait every day to eat a meal at lunch time. Also she helps her family by working right after school. Even the boy in the scenario didn’t have to worry about working but he did have to worry about his living conditions. I think the long-run implications of these differences for these children’s lives is that the cycle may continue when they are older and have their own families. If they don’t break the cycle this can hurt their future generations.

    4.What is still unclear? Any concepts, terminology or graphs in the reading that you had a hard time understanding? Any other comments or thoughts you would like to add?
    A comment I want to add is in the last video I found it interesting how Chimamanda Ngozi explained the story about her house help, how he was poor and all her mother ever talked about was his family being poor. Until she went to visit his family one day and saw more than his family being poor, she saw they were talented. Even when we came to America to go to school her roommate had a different Prasanna because she was from Africa. In the video, The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” was very promenade.

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18. 1. I agree with Atkinson’s statement. If the inequality that we currently have isn’t addressed, focusing on a prospective view on equality without fixing the corruption that caused inequality to begin with won’t make a permanent change in the long run. If equality of opportunity is addressed without learning the reasoning and the history of inequality of outcome, then inequality will always come back as a vicious cycle, and leave an unequal opportunity at the start of the finish line. Equality can only be addressed if the processes that caused inequality to begin with are properly dismantled so that it doesn’t happen again.

    2. Equality of outcomes can be achieved if the distribution of wealth is being regulated and addressed properly. The lack of proper distribution of wealth is one of the main causes of inequality of outcome, and causes a rise in inequality when there is a rise in wealth of the 1%. By unevenly distributing wealth among the nation, the majority of people (who live in inequality) don’t get to have the proper access to health, food, education, jobs, proper housing, etc., which worsens inequality of outcomes.

    3. Both videos show a drastically different perspective on poverty, and it makes the UK’s poverty seem like it has everything a rich person has in Malawi. For a Malawi poor person, food and education is a luxury, while it is something that everyone has in the UK. For the children in the UK “living in poverty,” I think that such high standards and such high wealth across the whole nation is going to make them feel poor even when they have more than enough to thrive. For the children in poorer countries like Malawi, however, I think that the standard of poverty in countries like the UK will make them feel like they are way below their poverty line, and will make them feel lesser than what they already do and might make their dreams seem that much more unobtainable.

    4. Overall, the reading was pretty clear, and it was very interesting to see a comparison between the UK and the US in literal graphs and numbers. However, I think the author bounces from idea to idea, and then goes back to it paragraphs later. If she could just focus on one idea and mention everything about it and find a way to transition into her other statement, I feel like the reading would’ve had a better flow.

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19. 1. I disagree when Atkinson says, “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today.” To begin, I believe that everyone should have the ability to pursue anything in life, and not be limited because of their income, race, gender or age. If these restrictions are removed and everyone has the accessibility to education, careers, and most importantly resources then the playing field will be fair to start with. However, there is still systematic racism that each country faces, inequality of generational wealth, inequality of education, and factors that the one percent enjoys that people below the poverty line cannot; these factors set people back to achieve the same opportunities. I believe that equality of opportunity is something overlooked, and when that problem is reduced then we can focus on inequality of outcome. Moreover, I think Atkinson looks at this problem optimistically because each person brings their own skills to the table (due to an effort or advantage), and discrimination is often the factor that leads to someone not getting the job, or getting accepted to college, and other opportunities. In short, when we concern ourselves with equality of opportunity, then we may come closer to working on the outcome.
    2. Optimistically, I believe that equality of outcomes can be achieved by going back, and providing the less fortunate with more than what they have received. Although, this will not create total fairness because of generations that have already had a head start, but it will be a good place to level things out. I also believe there has to be an objective way to enforce equality of outcomes. For example, if two people work just as hard to receive an award, and one gets picked over the other, there can be a system that acknowledges the hard work of the other; by providing similar resources and further opportunities to the individual. I also believe that each individual should be provided with a standard of living applicable to anyone who is troubled, has had a downfall, or is not prepared for the real world. A system that is prepared to help any individual with all the necessities to survive, and place them back on their feet. I say this optimistically, because I know there are many factors that make each individual different, and there are many other dimensions to look at this question. However, I believe each human should have equality of opportunity, and should be provided with basic necessities for survival first.
    3. The poverty in one scenario is different from the other due to the help their government’s are able to provide them. In the example of Malawi, these children live in severe poverty and have a different point of view of life. They need the bare minimum of necessities to survive in their condition. Although they are provided with an education, water, little amounts of food, and little work they suffer the reality of not having the opportunities as the children in the UK. The children in the UK also suffer the reality of not having money to provide them with food and shelter to keep them warm, and satisfy them. These differences are drastic compared to one another, however, the perspective should be viewed among each country on its own and the inequality among each other first. Then provide an analysis how things can be better by looking at a world view, so people in poverty can receive a better living. I think the long-run implications of these differences is that there will always be a system that is lacking, and one that is above all other systems. I think governments should provide the best for their people, and take a look how other successful countries are making it work.
    4. Although the read was understandable for the most part, I question a quote created by Milton Friedman and Simon Kuznets. It says, “the actual difference between the incomes of professional and non-professional workers seem decidedly larger than the difference between that would compensate for the extra capital investment required (pg 27).” In this section of the reading, the author speaks about the dispersion of income, through professionals and non professionals; how those who have an education will earn more income. I understand that those who make an investment in their education will create more wealth, but does it stop there, because there are other forms of investments that one can make to become wealthier. So, is he saying that there will be a larger difference in income due to education, or through other forms of investments, or both?

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20. QS #1. I agree with Atkinson when he says, “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”; Atkinson is saying that we as a society must change where we are today in order to figure out where we could be in the future. Atkinson discusses inequality of opportunity by comparing it to a race. Some individuals start off with both parents present in their lives, a nice home, good education, financial stability; While others start the race of life with a single parent, a home in a dangerous neighborhood, poor education, and are suffering from poverty. Thus leading to an unfair advantage. Also, Atkinson discusses how the rate of inequality is connected to the distribution of wealth. If a wealthy man earns an income ten times the amount of a middle class man, how is that fair?

    QS#2. Equality of outcomes can be achieved if we focus on the before. What can we do to make sure the field is leveled and everyone has an equal opportunity at this race. I don’t know if the equality of outcomes could be achieved in the United States. As a capitalist society our nation thrives on winning and winners. An example Atkinson used was the U.S Tennis Opening Championship where the winner takes $3 million. If one person earns $3 million, a number most Americans will never earn, how is that fair? The only way for me for this country to make equality of outcomes achieved is by making sure every individual is financially stable, healthy, and comfortable in their living conditions.

    QS#3. Poverty in Malawi is different from poverty in the U.K. because the people of each country have a different standard of living. Meaning, in Malawi because their government is poor there is less money distributed to the people of that country. Their government cannot provide financial stability for their citizens and it leads individuals of Malawi to have limited access to food, water, and even clothing. In the United Kingdom it is different, their living standard is high. Homes, food, water, and clothing are all resources that are provided by their government. In turn, it is much harder for a person in Malawi to make it out of poverty because even if they wanted to earn more there isn’t enough money to be distributed. The lack of economic stimulation makes it harder for these individuals to make it out of those circumstances. Whereas an individual facing poverty in the United Kingdom has the opportunity to find a job and earn more because of how much money flow there is in the U.K. economy. A person in U.K. has an opportunity to find a job and save whereas a person in Malawi is less likely to find a job and if so the pay is barely enough to put food on the table.

    QS#4.My questions are more on the broad side. Why was capitalism created if inequality is inevitable in a capitalist society?, How would economists measure what the prize should be in order to make it fair?, and Why don’t we discuss this topic more often? If we did I believe systematic racism would become obsolete because everyone would have a better understanding of life and why individuals are where they are compared to others?

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21. 1. I agree with Atkinson when he states we, as a society, should be concerned with the inequality of outcome today if we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow because today’s inequality of outcome has a direct and profound effect on the equality of opportunity tomorrow. Atkinson recognizes the disproportionate advantages that are accumulated intergenerationally (p.26). Assets such as social mobility and wealth result in the growth of wealth, knowledge, and influence are passed down from parents to children. These assets are distributed unequally to different groups, resulting in real and persistent disparities between races, ethnicities, and social classes. For example, if a child is born into a family with minimal wealth, it is probable that this child experiences housing instability, poor quality education, and other adverse events that limit his social mobility and prevent him from attaining an adequate job or other advantageous opportunities. When that child grows and has his own children, those children are in turn subjected to the same disadvantages of their father. Thus, children are born into the prosperous or disadvantaged circumstances of their parents. This phenomenon occurs today and is perpetual; resulting in an inequality of outcomes today that will indubitably affect the equality of opportunity for tomorrow’s generation.

    2. I believe equality of outcomes can be achieved when the inequality of opportunities is eradicated. If there is an inequality of opportunities, there will never be equality of opportunities. This is the case because opportunity– which in my interpretation is synonymous with access– is distributed unequally throughout social classes and racial identities. Without equal accessibility, groups will experience different outcomes. Therefore, outcome equality is assured when all barriers to access are removed from disadvantaged groups. In today’s world, this is achieved through programs, grants, scholarships, etc. that are rooted in and aimed to achieve equity in access.

    3. The circumstances of poverty portrayed in the videos are vastly different from one another. The multidimensional poverty that Nyamtiti experiences is far worse than the conventional, first-world poverty that David experiences. He lists some of his grievances as having frequent colds because of poor heating conditions, which is very unfortunate and should not be experienced by any child. However, the gravity of David’s situation pales in comparison to Nyamiti’s experience, which includes having a single daily meal of a cup of porridge, being unable to afford a school uniform or shoes, and visiting a maize mill to scrounge up leftover flour. Nyamiti’s physical and psychosocial development could be severely derailed as she battles hunger and malnourishment. She speaks of being unable to concentrate on her studies despite being passionate about learning. The long-run implications include the fact that David will be able to afford a publicly-funded education and school uniform. He is guaranteed the opportunity to earn an education and complete schooling, which will put him leagues above Nyamiti in terms of opportunity. She will deal with continued inequitable circumstances, exacerbated by her race and her gender.

    4. I would appreciate a deeper understanding of the Rawlsian position. In my understanding, it seems to be a true argument for equitable programs, by giving the most to those who have the least. However, Atkinson continues to state that it is not so different from a trickle-down economics view of having an income tax cut for the richest to benefit the poor. To me, these seem like drastically different perspectives. I would also like to comment that I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Her story was brilliant and relatable. As a young black man, I am also plagued by the single story that is associated with the hoodie-wearing, menacing black man. I also liked Adichie’s presentation because it encourages me to be introspective and consider what “single-stories” I might be subscribed to.

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22. Do you agree with Atkinson when he says that “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”? Why? I agree with Atikson’s ideology in regards to working on equality of opportunity for tomorrow by starting on the issue, that being inequality and what better time to start than today. It is important to work on issues that affect such a large percentage of the population and in such severe ways. And it is especially important to focus on it as soon as possible rather than putting it on hold. If so, the outcome of inequality of opportunity may further progress into more severe consequences and it can develop into a longer stretch to equality. The sooner the issue is addressed the sooner we can see progress and meet our existing goal, in this case equality of opportunity.
    How can equality of outcomes be achieved? Equality of outcomes in my opinion exist in the same realm as equality of opportunity. Perhaps the individual may not have the same starting point but to reach the same endpoint it is important to have the same resources in between that time frame. Whether they are educational resources, informative resources, nutritional resources, financial resources. As well the elimination of intersectionality or political bias. If in the time reaching towards the same endpoint the individuals are rated equality regardless of any personal matters but strictly based on skills and knowledge as well as are given the same information and resources, then we will see change and throughout time achieve equality of outcomes.
    In the two short-videos on poverty both discuss the same theme, but one looks at a case in one of the poorest countries in the world, and another one in the richest countries in the world. How is the poverty in one scenario different from the other? What do you think are the long-run implications of these differences for these children’s lives? In the videos two different versions of poverty are shown. While one took place in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world where poverty is defined in extreme measures meaning basic necessities for survival including water, food and clothes are a struggle to come by. The UK’s version of poverty is defined as a lack of commodities such as heat. It is obvious that the struggle is on a different level and therefore the long-run implications differ. For example, for the child in Malawi who does not have access to the same educational resources or academic help besides from schooling hours the possibilities of reaching her career goals are a far longer stretch than that of the kid in the UK who has more access to academic and emotional support. With these being said the gap of inequality really remains very present.

    What is still unclear? Any concepts, terminology or graphs in the reading that you had a hard time understanding? Any other comments or thoughts you would like to add?
    I find the reading to be very interesting as it brings up valid reasons for why there is inequality and different approaches to think about in regards to concepts to consider for reducing inequality. However, there is some terminology mentioned later on when discussing the way the UK was dealing with the situation and its economic distribution system. A “Gini coefficient ‘ was mentioned within the chart because I don’t know what that means I wasn’t sure what I was look at or what it represented and meant for the chart and it was relatively hard for me to understand how to read the chart overall because so many details are looked into to create these statistics.

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23. 1.Do you agree with Atkinson when he says that “If we are concerned about equality of opportunity tomorrow, we need to be concerned about inequality of outcome today”? Why?
    I do agree with Atkinson’s statement. It is very important to have equality of opportunity because essentially that is why we work, sacrifice, and strive for, opportunities, and once we are given those opportunities we open up the path to find our own success. However, inequality of outcomes profoundly negates the impact that equality of opportunities is meant to have. An example would be a car race. Sure, all cars begin at the same point, however some cars have been build with better tires, stronger engines etc. which would allow them to create a gap between the cars that aren’t as well structured. This is like how education can be described in a sense, because children, teenagers, and even adults can be in the same school but not have the same tools to be able to do as well as otherwise they might have been able to.

    2.How can equality of outcomes be achieved?
    Equality of outcomes can be achieved through support. Providing people with the necessary support. That support should be (but not limited) emotional, economic, and social. I can’t speak for everyone, but from my experience, several people have or have experienced very unpleasant feelings because of their lack of support and are afraid to go seek for help. In that case I would suggest normalizing and advertising mental health programs, which can be really helpful to people who need that support. Another issue is economic aspect, several people fail to achieve outcomes from opportunities because they simply can’t afford it. Providing people with necessary items along the opportunity can help with the equality of outcomes.

    3.In the two short-videos on poverty both discuss the same theme, but one look at at a case in one of the poorest countries in the world, and another one in the richest countries in the world. How is the poverty in one scenario different from the other? What do you think are the long-run implications of these differences for these children’s lives?
    The difference is stated in the question. One country is poor and the other is rich which infers that the poor country is likely to have more harsh living conditions in comparison to the richer one, and based on the videos it is. From just the environment where the children were recorded and discussed their hardships from highlights the difference. On one side Nymaiti is shown in harsh environments where she has to work very hard while going to school and even that does not provide her enough and sometimes it doesn’t provide her nothing at all depending on the weather. That makes it tremendously hard for her to focus the opportunity given to her with going to school. Whereas David is also going through hardships that are important to emphasize considering the country he lives in, however, not as harsh as what Nymaiti is going though. The most important long-run implication is health. Nymaiti works in extreme conditions with little to no sanitation and with barely any food, which can expose her to diseases.

    4.What is still unclear? Any concepts, terminology or graphs in the reading that you had a hard time understanding? Any other comments or thoughts you would like to add?
    I would have liked some more detail about the graphs showed in the videos like numbers. The humps can be slightly difficult to understand without any numbers, though I do understand the point that was portrayed.
    A comment I would like to add is that the readings and videos gave me important insight about the world and i learned important vocabulary which got me engaged in the matter.

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