The United States is ranked 41 out of 141 on the Gini index, which means we rank in the top 30 percent for inequality. By only looking at the Gini index we see that the United States matches up with less developed nations that are highly unequal. This is odd given the advanced development status of the United States.
Having said that, I do not believe that using the Gini coefficient by itself is the perfect way to measure inequality in American - relative to other countries. It should be a combination of GDP per capita, Purchasing Power Parity, and other measures. In doing so, we receive a more accurate description of American inequality that, while it is still high compared to our developed counterparts, is not as intense as some other countries.
This disparaging inequality in our country, which puts us on par with some of the more troubled countries in the world, can be lessened by political action and change. Two of the biggest debates going on today involve tax increases for the rich and minimum wage hikes for the lower class workers. As long as we have honest, hardworking people making a wage that keeps them under the poverty line while the richest percentage of our population continues to avoid a majority of the taxes that the middle and lower class pays, this inequality will only increase. Our country is not troubled like those we are in the inequality category with so it should be easier for us to make the changes necessary to close the gap. -Jack O'Connor
I learned about this in my sociology class last year (105), and about how unequal the US REALLY is compared to other nations in income. The fact that countries like Rwanda and Honduras are more equal than us is really shocking. We always hear stuff like "everyone is equal", something that is in the constitution, yet the truth is we are far from equal. I can see us being 41st on the list just because of the 1% and the very poor. In this week's issue of Time, it showed how all classes (upper, middle, lower) live and it also showed how the 5% (people who make 300k a year or more) that their income has increased 80% since the 90's and how the lower 30% (percentage of american's that make less than 29k a year) that their income has only increased 7%. This goes along with the fact that the richer are getting richer and the poor are staying the same, making the wealth gap even more noticeable than before.
I am taking the social problems class currently. I find the amount of inequality in America so appalling that it is almost funny. I noticed the irony too in "equality" and "the land of opportunity" long ago as I grew to understand the different histories of minorities in America. When I understood just how misconceptualized hard work gets you ahead in life, it did a number on my outlook of life. It is genuinely hard to overcome the disadvantages life throws your way especially if you dont have at least one great person surrounding you. Literally, every bit of advantage life gives you helps if you know how to use that advantage right. It is also cliche, but truly a blessing, because so much of our lives are an accident of birth. Recently i learned that Denmark is so remarkably "the happiest place on Earth" that people are able to leave their babies unattended with the security that their child will come back to their child. They also have much trust in their government. Because of the individualism and capitalistic nature of American society, it is not that hard to understand why few people get ahead. At the circulating expense of others, America derives from a culture that prizes one person being their unapologetic self and making your own success. Unfortunately, the side affect of those ideologies combination create people who could not always make their success, or who had one setback derail their life, and because of Americas nature, there is a seriously lacking experience of community or even support for people who do their best but it just is not cutting it.
I think this index shows the sad true about the country we live in today. It is hard to wrap our heads around the idea that we are experiencing extreme inequality in america. Often we tend to overlook things and allow our personal experiences to predict how we see the country as a whole. The huge gap in wealth in this country is quite scary. Kendall Heatley
I think this was really a wake up call to me. I expected the United States to be near the best in terms of low rates of inequalities, especially with some of the notoriously problematic and unstable countries on this list. To find that the United States ranked as the 41st most unequal nation out of the 141 included was shocking to say the least. We matched up with some countries that have some serious issues in terms of economies and politics. I expected us to rank up with the European democracies but I was sadly mistaken. To see that Iran is more equal in terms of income distribution than us is not acceptable for this country. To claim to be the world wide leader in freedom and all that is just and equal, to rank as more unequal than Iran, a nation notorious for its oppressive regime against it's own people should be a wake up call for all of us. Something must be done in the United States to address this, because this is clearly a serious problem that we can't afford to linger any longer.
The United States was founded as the land of opportunity. You would think that having such opportunities would mean equality in economy but that is clearly not the case.
However, one must take into account that the United States is a huge melting pot in comparison to countries like Sweden, and Nigeria who have higher equal distribution. Each country has it's classes however, countries like Nigeria are primarily made up of impoverish people therefore, their economic standards of "equality" are way different than that of Americans standards. America contains high, middle and lower class at much denser and broader degrees. We have the very homeless, those who are jobless, the very prestigous and the middle class. Since we have a broader range of people than these nations, of course our inequality is gonna be higher.
However, I do believe that with the opportunities available in American society for jobs, and government aid there is no reason why the inequality of income should be so high.
I'm not really all that surprised by the U.S.'s percentage within the Gini Index showing the inequality in the Distribution of Family Income. I am surprised that we rank near many developing countries. Compared to developed countries, the U.S. has really high income inequality. It makes me wonder if our culturally established capitalist ideals and values are the main factor in the difference between the inequality in the U.S. compared to other developed countries. I did take note that the dates of information are different for just about every country listed, so I'd like to know what the index looks like now across the world; especially since the U.S.'s data was recorded in 2007 around the time of the economic depression.
I agree with Deven Powell that I was also not at all surprised by the United States's GINI Index rating. The United States's income distribution, according to the GINI Index, is not very equal. I believe that the growth of independent businesses and the unfair distribution of wealth is the cause for the U.S.'s high GINI number. The widening of the lower, middle, and wealthy class can also be the cause of this high number. It is as if the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Compared to other countries such as Sweden and Denmark, the United States's GINI number is very poor. As one of the most powerful countries in the world, I would expect that the United States would have a GINI index that is remotely close to those of Sweden and Denmark. I would like to know what Sweden and Denmark do to distribute its wealth equally, and what exactly is preventing the United States from distributing its wealth equally.
It is written in the fact book that "The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world". Given that the economy is so power one would think that income would be distributed more equally. Arguably the Gini index does not tell us a lot because it was recorded during the year the great depression started. Thus given that the economy has recovered it would be interesting to see the results from 2013/14 And I know that this is a tad irrelevant, but the UK it at 104 yay for us!
It's interesting to me, how if you try to look at the GINI coefficient in terms of more and lesser developed nations, you'll find that the correlation between distribution of wealth and development is not what you'd expect. The fact that the US ranks below nations like Mozambique and Sierra Leone shows that development has nothing to do with wealth distribution, and wealthier nations tend to have the richest 10% hold a lot of wealth, and therefore status and power.
I think that it is shameful for the USA to be within the top 50 most unequal countries (US is number 41). It is ironic that the USA is more unequal than countries like Iran, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. These are countries that the USA has historically claimed/or still claims were/are led by oppressive regimes. However, these countries are factually more equal than the USA. According to rhetoric about these countries in some time or another, these countries are far from meritocracies.
However, from this data, we see that if any country is not a meritocracy, its the US. A society with high inequality equates to a society where social mobility is low. We need to ensure that we lower inequality in the US so that we can at least strive to become a meritocracy.
It is very ironic how the United States is ranked 41, which means we are in the top 50 most unequal countries. Given the fact that the United States is a developed nation and for it to be ranked as one of the countries with high inequality is quite ironic. What’s even more disturbing is that individuals are not aware or do not pay much attention to the serious issue in this country, inequality.
I find it interesting how high the United States are on this list. Even with the large amount of inequality here I did not think it was quite as bad as it is in reality. I think we should make it a goal get inequality down from where it is now because in truth this is outrageous if we consider the positions of other well developed nations in the world.
This website really put the United States' income inequality in perspective. I found it shocking that the United States is number 41. It is also ironic because the United States is supposed to be the land of opportunity. Millions of people have gone to great lengths to live here; and yet, the United States’ income inequality is one of the worst in the world. In the United States, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, so there are not nearly as many opportunities for immigrants, than people assume.
The Gini index is an interesting way to rank and quantify inequality in countries around the world. Our whole class is centered around income inequality in the United States. According to the rankings, the US is number 41 out of 141, meaning it is the 49th most unequal country in the world. A powerhouse country such as the United States should not be ranked as highly as it is. With all of the developments and advancements that come out of the United States, one would think that we should have a more evenly distributed income. One possibility as to why our Gini score is so high is because it may not be the most accurate way to measure inequality, even if it gives a good estimation. Secondly, America still needs to find a way through economy and government to create a better distribution of wealth. By no means do we need to shift towards Communism, that is the last thing that we would want to happen. However, making it so that the top 1% doesn't have a majority of the wealth would be more fair.
Like others have stated before me, I think it is important to keep in mind that the use of the Gini index is not a flawless way to determine inequality. With that being said though, it does give a good insight into inequality. As I first began to read this chart I was happy to see countries like South Africa and Sri Lanka ahead of us (States). But as I scrolled further I was amazed that countries such as Iran, Ghana, and Malaysia have more economic equality amongst its citizens than the United States. This World Factbook is a division under the Central Intelligence Agency. It promotes knowledge through different types of data. This summer I spent time in South Africa and saw the extreme wealth and the extreme poverty. I had no idea the economic distribution was that unequal, but do remember walking through the slums as a Mercedes or Range Rover drove past me. We have studied a lot this semester as to why America remains highly unequal, but I am curious as to why countries such as Russia, are more economical equal than us. Also I think it would be imperative of researchers to take into account why certain nations have less or more equality. By finding these key components hopefully the leading officials could determine how to lessen inequality in all nations by looking towards those with less inequality.
I agree with many of the other comments above. I think that there is no exact way to measure inequality but the Gini index comes pretty close. Its really weird to me that we would be in such a low standing especially since the nationalistic attitude in America makes people forget about all of the problems that exist, including inequality. Americans see developing countries that lack the material goods that we have and automatically think that we live a better life or have a better and more prosperous country. While it is often true that there are americans who live more comfortably then people who live in Northern Uganda, the discrepancies are not always purely internationally geographic. It is also important to note that quality of life is subjective and inequality means different things in different places. Ana Kyriakos
America's location on the Gini index is a poignant indicator of what the future holds for America. We are steadily declining in terms of equitable distribution of wealth, largely facilitated by the anti-business climate in this country. We also import immigrants from all the countries above us; inviting a race-to-the bottom in terms of wages for low-skilled workers. A possible solution to this problem could be to reduce regulation of business (laissez-faire economy), however, this could also cause inequality because of the greediness and privilege of certain peoples. In my opinion, it's a Catch-22 situation; as it stands, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
I didn’t find this article to be such a surprise on the ranking of inequalities in America. I expected it to be what it is. America consists of high, middle, and low/poor class which means there are a high percentage of jobless and homeless people. The Gini coefficients as far as more or less in developed nations correlated between the distribution of wealth and therefore progress of development isn’t expected. The reason why US equate for such a high economic/income inequality is due to the fact that there is low social mobility which makes perfect sense.
While it is surprising to me that the US is so low I'm equally surprised (if not more) to see the United Kingdom even lower. I'm not sure why I hold the notion that the two nations should be similar, but to see the UK so much worse is interesting to me.
It seems so backwards for the United States to be so high in inequality that they are among other “developing” countries. I also think what we consider “developing” is very biased. I have never stayed in another country besides Colombia (which ranks higher in inequality than the U.S.A) so I am curious to travel to other countries with much lower inequality and talk about how they view U.S. inequality. My entire family in Colombia views the U.S. as the land of freedom where dreams come true. So it can be hard to talk to them about the inequalities that exist in the states. There is so much irony in the ideologies of American people and the reality of American lives.
It's honestly sad to think that it isn't surprising that we rank as higly as we do with inequality. I also noticed the irony too in "equality" and "the land of opportunity" because we like to think that everyone has the opportunity to reach their goals but this is not the reality. Do you think the general consensus that the American dream is still alive?
Unfortunately, I was not surprised by our countries relatively high ranking of inequality with other countries in the world. In retrospect, the history of the United States and its legislations has been largely based on ideals (i.e. slavey, colonization, cultural assimilation, etc) which inevitably perpetuate inequality, through the existence of the privileged and the oppressed. Some could say that Americas standing as the "Land of Opportunity" is nothing but a public relations agenda.
It's interesting to see who the most equal countries are highly developed. And the United States, which is also considered high developed, is ranked as the 41st most unequal and listed among many underdeveloped counties. If other developed countries have figured out how to be successful and equal, why is the United States, the land of opportunity, so far behind?
We are on the list near countries that are known for their inequality. This data tells us the honest truth that we as American citizens need to pay attention to our political and institutional objectives. We are living in a world of oppression but hopefully it will get better.
For a country that prides itself on being #1 (or something), the fact that wec rank so high in inequality in relation to other industrialized countries is sobering. I think that we (Americans) get so swept up being good at stuff (like blowing up other countries) that we ignore very real internal problems in our country. The inequality that exists here will never be rectified if we're not honest about things that are wrong. I understand that there are worse places to live, but looking at these rankings, apparently there are also better places to live.
I was surprised at our ranking on the list. America is a country that prides itself on being the land of freedom and equal opportunity, but it seems that increasingly these rights are not always given. I think that this should be a wake up call to Americans that we need to push for a change. Especially in light of recent events and the protests that have been breaking out all over they country, we see that the justice system and the government is more corrupt that we would like to think.
The U.S. and most U.S. citizens tend to believe that America is a land still a land of opportunities. It is just not true anymore. It is crazy to think that we are reaching levels of wealth inequality in the U.S. that are the same as in countries that we usually consider as awful places to live. I think things have changes dramatically but the perceptions of the public that everything is okay has remained the same.
I've used the CIA Factbook before but I don't think I paid much attention to the GINI coefficient back then. I did learn about the GINI coefficient in my World Hunger class though. And it is startling to see the U.S. at almost 50. We are also in the top 50 countries with high inequality and that is just horrendously alarming. The U.S. is a well developed nation and yet we have such high inequality. The top countries on the list are either smaller or in Africa( where poverty level are high) or both and what exactly is the U.S's excuse?
Seeing this just really brings the problems we have in th is country to the light. Even though we are perceived to be this great nation where you can go to make your dreams come true, it just really takes you back to see just how low we are ranked. It also shows just how much control the top percentage of people really have.
I'm really surprised that most of Europe falls lower in inequality than the United States. I'm from Greece and family there always assumes that everyone in America is rich. Though on average people may make more in America, it must also be nice to be more of an equal with those around you in society, rather than having the richest people's mansions as a backdrop to the homeless man sleeping on a bench. You don't have to go far to witness it either-Bethesda is an exceedingly wealthy area of Maryland, get beggars always frequent the benches by the metro entrance.
For this link, we see that the United States is ranked 41st in terms of Inequality (where number 1 is the most inequal and number 141, Sweden, is the country with the most equality based on income.) This was quite startling when seeing how much more equal many European countries ranked such as Sweden, Germany, and even Russia was slightly better. While these countries may not have as large of economies or be as prosperous from capitalist standpoint, they do spread their wealth out more evenly and we should see what we can learn from them.
After reading several of the comments reacting to the GINI coefficient, it is not surprise that everyone tends to immediately comment on how the United States fairs in comparison to the rest of the world. One thing I did notice is that hardy anyone commented on the dates the information was obtained. While I am a strong believer in the magnitude of inequality in the “Land of the Free” that persists today, we also have to take note that the information for the United States was obtained in 2007, during the height of the “Great Recession”. I do find it odd the disparities in information, where some countries have information as early as 1989, and others as late as Dec. 2013. The world economies were vastly different in those time periods to give an accurate portrayal of a country’s state, as well as the value of their currency in comparison to the rest of the world.
I learned about the Gini Index in a previous class (GVPT282: Politics in the Developing World) and even wrote a paper about how America's inequality compares to inequality in other countries. Although this country has a high GDP and a pretty decently functioning government we cannot tackle inequality efficiently. No matter rich this country continues to become we just recently developed a way in which every citizen could have health insurance. Even still not all residents of the United States of America have access to equal education and grocery stores. What does that say about our country? Education and healthy food options are important and you would think since we live in such an advanced society, these things would not be a problem. It is the opposite, that is because this capitalist society is a business. No one wants to spend money on peer people so that they can eat and get a quality education. We have all the money yet lack an adherence to human rights.
It is extremely ironic that the so called "land of opportunity" is so low on the list. It blows my mind that countries that I would have never guessed, such as Cameroon and the phillipines are ahead of us on this list. I think that something has to change, but with the state of our government, and the way that politics work in this country, I do not see it happening anytime soon. -Damarr Gordon
This website on the Gini Index of different countries lists results that do not surprise. With what I have been taught about the way the US works it being placed at 41 with a distribution of family income of 45 makes sense. I do not understand how the United States believes that they have the right to demand and get involved with what occurs in other countries. Like for example Venezuela and Russia that have a lower income inequality compared to the United States.
Based on the gini index, Sweden possesses the least amount of income distribution equity compared to other countries. I wonder if a factor such as this impacts the way of life in any way or if population can affect this data.
In a way I was surprised to see the United States to be ranked 44 out 141 on the Gini Index. But in a way I kind of expected it based on the way our society is and how the income gap between the social classes is on the rise in the United States. Our country is more interested in getting involved in what is occurring in other countries and not paying much attention to what is occurring in their own country. It may be true that countries that are ranked lower based on the Gini Index may be more involved and concerned about what is occurring in their own countries. For example Sweden has the least amount of income distribution equity, this could have to deal with the quality of life people are experiencing in Sweden or based off of the jobs that are available to individuals in Sweden. It could also have to do with the programs that the government of Sweden has set up for their members of society. The role that a country plays in their nation may affect how well their country is rated based off of the Gini Index, which measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income.
I was surprised that the U.S. ranked number 41 in the Gini Index. This is supposed to be the place people want to be to make their dreams come true, but we are in the top 30% for income inequality. A change needs to be made because poverty levels are rising and the top 1% are just getting richer. It doesn't seem fair that 1% of the country is making money while the rest of the 99% are barely getting anything, if at all. We need to take notes from Sweden to figure out how to equally distribute wealth to all that live here instead of monopolizing the economy.
In a way I was surprised to see the United States to be ranked 44 out 141 on the Gini Index. But in a way I kind of expected it based on the way our society is and how the income gap between the social classes is on the rise in the United States. Our country is more interested in getting involved in what is occurring in other countries and not paying much attention to what is occurring in their own country. It may be true that countries that are ranked lower based on the Gini Index may be more involved and concerned about what is occurring in their own countries. For example Sweden has the least amount of income distribution equity, this could have to deal with the quality of life people are experiencing in Sweden or based off of the jobs that are available to individuals in Sweden. It could also have to do with the programs that the government of Sweden has set up for their members of society. The role that a country plays in their nation may affect how well their country is rated based off of the Gini Index, which measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income.
The United States is ranked 41 out of 141 on the Gini index, which means we rank in the top 30 percent for inequality. By only looking at the Gini index we see that the United States matches up with less developed nations that are highly unequal. This is odd given the advanced development status of the United States.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I do not believe that using the Gini coefficient by itself is the perfect way to measure inequality in American - relative to other countries. It should be a combination of GDP per capita, Purchasing Power Parity, and other measures. In doing so, we receive a more accurate description of American inequality that, while it is still high compared to our developed counterparts, is not as intense as some other countries.
This disparaging inequality in our country, which puts us on par with some of the more troubled countries in the world, can be lessened by political action and change. Two of the biggest debates going on today involve tax increases for the rich and minimum wage hikes for the lower class workers. As long as we have honest, hardworking people making a wage that keeps them under the poverty line while the richest percentage of our population continues to avoid a majority of the taxes that the middle and lower class pays, this inequality will only increase. Our country is not troubled like those we are in the inequality category with so it should be easier for us to make the changes necessary to close the gap.
ReplyDelete-Jack O'Connor
I learned about this in my sociology class last year (105), and about how unequal the US REALLY is compared to other nations in income. The fact that countries like Rwanda and Honduras are more equal than us is really shocking. We always hear stuff like "everyone is equal", something that is in the constitution, yet the truth is we are far from equal. I can see us being 41st on the list just because of the 1% and the very poor. In this week's issue of Time, it showed how all classes (upper, middle, lower) live and it also showed how the 5% (people who make 300k a year or more) that their income has increased 80% since the 90's and how the lower 30% (percentage of american's that make less than 29k a year) that their income has only increased 7%. This goes along with the fact that the richer are getting richer and the poor are staying the same, making the wealth gap even more noticeable than before.
ReplyDeleteI am taking the social problems class currently. I find the amount of inequality in America so appalling that it is almost funny. I noticed the irony too in "equality" and "the land of opportunity" long ago as I grew to understand the different histories of minorities in America. When I understood just how misconceptualized hard work gets you ahead in life, it did a number on my outlook of life. It is genuinely hard to overcome the disadvantages life throws your way especially if you dont have at least one great person surrounding you. Literally, every bit of advantage life gives you helps if you know how to use that advantage right. It is also cliche, but truly a blessing, because so much of our lives are an accident of birth.
DeleteRecently i learned that Denmark is so remarkably "the happiest place on Earth" that people are able to leave their babies unattended with the security that their child will come back to their child. They also have much trust in their government. Because of the individualism and capitalistic nature of American society, it is not that hard to understand why few people get ahead. At the circulating expense of others, America derives from a culture that prizes one person being their unapologetic self and making your own success. Unfortunately, the side affect of those ideologies combination create people who could not always make their success, or who had one setback derail their life, and because of Americas nature, there is a seriously lacking experience of community or even support for people who do their best but it just is not cutting it.
I think this index shows the sad true about the country we live in today. It is hard to wrap our heads around the idea that we are experiencing extreme inequality in america. Often we tend to overlook things and allow our personal experiences to predict how we see the country as a whole. The huge gap in wealth in this country is quite scary.
ReplyDeleteKendall Heatley
I think this was really a wake up call to me. I expected the United States to be near the best in terms of low rates of inequalities, especially with some of the notoriously problematic and unstable countries on this list. To find that the United States ranked as the 41st most unequal nation out of the 141 included was shocking to say the least. We matched up with some countries that have some serious issues in terms of economies and politics. I expected us to rank up with the European democracies but I was sadly mistaken. To see that Iran is more equal in terms of income distribution than us is not acceptable for this country. To claim to be the world wide leader in freedom and all that is just and equal, to rank as more unequal than Iran, a nation notorious for its oppressive regime against it's own people should be a wake up call for all of us. Something must be done in the United States to address this, because this is clearly a serious problem that we can't afford to linger any longer.
ReplyDeleteThe United States was founded as the land of opportunity. You would think that having such opportunities would mean equality in economy but that is clearly not the case.
ReplyDeleteHowever, one must take into account that the United States is a huge melting pot in comparison to countries like Sweden, and Nigeria who have higher equal distribution. Each country has it's classes however, countries like Nigeria are primarily made up of impoverish people therefore, their economic standards of "equality" are way different than that of Americans standards. America contains high, middle and lower class at much denser and broader degrees. We have the very homeless, those who are jobless, the very prestigous and the middle class. Since we have a broader range of people than these nations, of course our inequality is gonna be higher.
However, I do believe that with the opportunities available in American society for jobs, and government aid there is no reason why the inequality of income should be so high.
I'm not really all that surprised by the U.S.'s percentage within the Gini Index showing the inequality in the Distribution of Family Income. I am surprised that we rank near many developing countries. Compared to developed countries, the U.S. has really high income inequality. It makes me wonder if our culturally established capitalist ideals and values are the main factor in the difference between the inequality in the U.S. compared to other developed countries. I did take note that the dates of information are different for just about every country listed, so I'd like to know what the index looks like now across the world; especially since the U.S.'s data was recorded in 2007 around the time of the economic depression.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Deven Powell that I was also not at all surprised by the United States's GINI Index rating. The United States's income distribution, according to the GINI Index, is not very equal. I believe that the growth of independent businesses and the unfair distribution of wealth is the cause for the U.S.'s high GINI number. The widening of the lower, middle, and wealthy class can also be the cause of this high number. It is as if the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Compared to other countries such as Sweden and Denmark, the United States's GINI number is very poor. As one of the most powerful countries in the world, I would expect that the United States would have a GINI index that is remotely close to those of Sweden and Denmark. I would like to know what Sweden and Denmark do to distribute its wealth equally, and what exactly is preventing the United States from distributing its wealth equally.
ReplyDeleteIt is written in the fact book that "The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world". Given that the economy is so power one would think that income would be distributed more equally. Arguably the Gini index does not tell us a lot because it was recorded during the year the great depression started. Thus given that the economy has recovered it would be interesting to see the results from 2013/14 And I know that this is a tad irrelevant, but the UK it at 104 yay for us!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to me, how if you try to look at the GINI coefficient in terms of more and lesser developed nations, you'll find that the correlation between distribution of wealth and development is not what you'd expect. The fact that the US ranks below nations like Mozambique and Sierra Leone shows that development has nothing to do with wealth distribution, and wealthier nations tend to have the richest 10% hold a lot of wealth, and therefore status and power.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is shameful for the USA to be within the top 50 most unequal countries (US is number 41). It is ironic that the USA is more unequal than countries like Iran, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. These are countries that the USA has historically claimed/or still claims were/are led by oppressive regimes. However, these countries are factually more equal than the USA. According to rhetoric about these countries in some time or another, these countries are far from meritocracies.
ReplyDeleteHowever, from this data, we see that if any country is not a meritocracy, its the US. A society with high inequality equates to a society where social mobility is low. We need to ensure that we lower inequality in the US so that we can at least strive to become a meritocracy.
-Erica Puentes
It is very ironic how the United States is ranked 41, which means we are in the top 50 most unequal countries. Given the fact that the United States is a developed nation and for it to be ranked as one of the countries with high inequality is quite ironic. What’s even more disturbing is that individuals are not aware or do not pay much attention to the serious issue in this country, inequality.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how high the United States are on this list. Even with the large amount of inequality here I did not think it was quite as bad as it is in reality. I think we should make it a goal get inequality down from where it is now because in truth this is outrageous if we consider the positions of other well developed nations in the world.
ReplyDelete-Matt Fera
This website really put the United States' income inequality in perspective. I found it shocking that the United States is number 41. It is also ironic because the United States is supposed to be the land of opportunity. Millions of people have gone to great lengths to live here; and yet, the United States’ income inequality is one of the worst in the world. In the United States, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, so there are not nearly as many opportunities for immigrants, than people assume.
ReplyDeleteLindsey Stalnaker
The Gini index is an interesting way to rank and quantify inequality in countries around the world. Our whole class is centered around income inequality in the United States. According to the rankings, the US is number 41 out of 141, meaning it is the 49th most unequal country in the world. A powerhouse country such as the United States should not be ranked as highly as it is. With all of the developments and advancements that come out of the United States, one would think that we should have a more evenly distributed income. One possibility as to why our Gini score is so high is because it may not be the most accurate way to measure inequality, even if it gives a good estimation. Secondly, America still needs to find a way through economy and government to create a better distribution of wealth. By no means do we need to shift towards Communism, that is the last thing that we would want to happen. However, making it so that the top 1% doesn't have a majority of the wealth would be more fair.
ReplyDeleteLike others have stated before me, I think it is important to keep in mind that the use of the Gini index is not a flawless way to determine inequality. With that being said though, it does give a good insight into inequality. As I first began to read this chart I was happy to see countries like South Africa and Sri Lanka ahead of us (States). But as I scrolled further I was amazed that countries such as Iran, Ghana, and Malaysia have more economic equality amongst its citizens than the United States. This World Factbook is a division under the Central Intelligence Agency. It promotes knowledge through different types of data. This summer I spent time in South Africa and saw the extreme wealth and the extreme poverty. I had no idea the economic distribution was that unequal, but do remember walking through the slums as a Mercedes or Range Rover drove past me. We have studied a lot this semester as to why America remains highly unequal, but I am curious as to why countries such as Russia, are more economical equal than us. Also I think it would be imperative of researchers to take into account why certain nations have less or more equality. By finding these key components hopefully the leading officials could determine how to lessen inequality in all nations by looking towards those with less inequality.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the other comments above. I think that there is no exact way to measure inequality but the Gini index comes pretty close. Its really weird to me that we would be in such a low standing especially since the nationalistic attitude in America makes people forget about all of the problems that exist, including inequality. Americans see developing countries that lack the material goods that we have and automatically think that we live a better life or have a better and more prosperous country. While it is often true that there are americans who live more comfortably then people who live in Northern Uganda, the discrepancies are not always purely internationally geographic. It is also important to note that quality of life is subjective and inequality means different things in different places.
ReplyDeleteAna Kyriakos
America's location on the Gini index is a poignant indicator of what the future holds for America. We are steadily declining in terms of equitable distribution of wealth, largely facilitated by the anti-business climate in this country. We also import immigrants from all the countries above us; inviting a race-to-the bottom in terms of wages for low-skilled workers. A possible solution to this problem could be to reduce regulation of business (laissez-faire economy), however, this could also cause inequality because of the greediness and privilege of certain peoples. In my opinion, it's a Catch-22 situation; as it stands, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t find this article to be such a surprise on the ranking of inequalities in America. I expected it to be what it is. America consists of high, middle, and low/poor class which means there are a high percentage of jobless and homeless people. The Gini coefficients as far as more or less in developed nations correlated between the distribution of wealth and therefore progress of development isn’t expected. The reason why US equate for such a high economic/income inequality is due to the fact that there is low social mobility which makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is surprising to me that the US is so low I'm equally surprised (if not more) to see the United Kingdom even lower. I'm not sure why I hold the notion that the two nations should be similar, but to see the UK so much worse is interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteIt seems so backwards for the United States to be so high in inequality that they are among other “developing” countries. I also think what we consider “developing” is very biased. I have never stayed in another country besides Colombia (which ranks higher in inequality than the U.S.A) so I am curious to travel to other countries with much lower inequality and talk about how they view U.S. inequality. My entire family in Colombia views the U.S. as the land of freedom where dreams come true. So it can be hard to talk to them about the inequalities that exist in the states. There is so much irony in the ideologies of American people and the reality of American lives.
ReplyDeleteIt's honestly sad to think that it isn't surprising that we rank as higly as we do with inequality. I also noticed the irony too in "equality" and "the land of opportunity" because we like to think that everyone has the opportunity to reach their goals but this is not the reality. Do you think the general consensus that the American dream is still alive?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I was not surprised by our countries relatively high ranking of inequality with other countries in the world. In retrospect, the history of the United States and its legislations has been largely based on ideals (i.e. slavey, colonization, cultural assimilation, etc) which inevitably perpetuate inequality, through the existence of the privileged and the oppressed. Some could say that Americas standing as the "Land of Opportunity" is nothing but a public relations agenda.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see who the most equal countries are highly developed. And the United States, which is also considered high developed, is ranked as the 41st most unequal and listed among many underdeveloped counties. If other developed countries have figured out how to be successful and equal, why is the United States, the land of opportunity, so far behind?
ReplyDeleteWe are on the list near countries that are known for their inequality. This data tells us the honest truth that we as American citizens need to pay attention to our political and institutional objectives. We are living in a world of oppression but hopefully it will get better.
ReplyDeleteFor a country that prides itself on being #1 (or something), the fact that wec rank so high in inequality in relation to other industrialized countries is sobering. I think that we (Americans) get so swept up being good at stuff (like blowing up other countries) that we ignore very real internal problems in our country. The inequality that exists here will never be rectified if we're not honest about things that are wrong. I understand that there are worse places to live, but looking at these rankings, apparently there are also better places to live.
ReplyDeleteLindsay Bonaparte
I was surprised at our ranking on the list. America is a country that prides itself on being the land of freedom and equal opportunity, but it seems that increasingly these rights are not always given. I think that this should be a wake up call to Americans that we need to push for a change. Especially in light of recent events and the protests that have been breaking out all over they country, we see that the justice system and the government is more corrupt that we would like to think.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. and most U.S. citizens tend to believe that America is a land still a land of opportunities. It is just not true anymore. It is crazy to think that we are reaching levels of wealth inequality in the U.S. that are the same as in countries that we usually consider as awful places to live. I think things have changes dramatically but the perceptions of the public that everything is okay has remained the same.
ReplyDeleteI've used the CIA Factbook before but I don't think I paid much attention to the GINI coefficient back then. I did learn about the GINI coefficient in my World Hunger class though. And it is startling to see the U.S. at almost 50. We are also in the top 50 countries with high inequality and that is just horrendously alarming. The U.S. is a well developed nation and yet we have such high inequality. The top countries on the list are either smaller or in Africa( where poverty level are high) or both and what exactly is the U.S's excuse?
ReplyDeleteSeeing this just really brings the problems we have in th is country to the light. Even though we are perceived to be this great nation where you can go to make your dreams come true, it just really takes you back to see just how low we are ranked. It also shows just how much control the top percentage of people really have.
ReplyDeleteI'm really surprised that most of Europe falls lower in inequality than the United States. I'm from Greece and family there always assumes that everyone in America is rich. Though on average people may make more in America, it must also be nice to be more of an equal with those around you in society, rather than having the richest people's mansions as a backdrop to the homeless man sleeping on a bench. You don't have to go far to witness it either-Bethesda is an exceedingly wealthy area of Maryland, get beggars always frequent the benches by the metro entrance.
ReplyDeleteFor this link, we see that the United States is ranked 41st in terms of Inequality (where number 1 is the most inequal and number 141, Sweden, is the country with the most equality based on income.) This was quite startling when seeing how much more equal many European countries ranked such as Sweden, Germany, and even Russia was slightly better. While these countries may not have as large of economies or be as prosperous from capitalist standpoint, they do spread their wealth out more evenly and we should see what we can learn from them.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading several of the comments reacting to the GINI coefficient, it is not surprise that everyone tends to immediately comment on how the United States fairs in comparison to the rest of the world. One thing I did notice is that hardy anyone commented on the dates the information was obtained. While I am a strong believer in the magnitude of inequality in the “Land of the Free” that persists today, we also have to take note that the information for the United States was obtained in 2007, during the height of the “Great Recession”. I do find it odd the disparities in information, where some countries have information as early as 1989, and others as late as Dec. 2013. The world economies were vastly different in those time periods to give an accurate portrayal of a country’s state, as well as the value of their currency in comparison to the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteI learned about the Gini Index in a previous class (GVPT282: Politics in the Developing World) and even wrote a paper about how America's inequality compares to inequality in other countries. Although this country has a high GDP and a pretty decently functioning government we cannot tackle inequality efficiently. No matter rich this country continues to become we just recently developed a way in which every citizen could have health insurance. Even still not all residents of the United States of America have access to equal education and grocery stores. What does that say about our country? Education and healthy food options are important and you would think since we live in such an advanced society, these things would not be a problem. It is the opposite, that is because this capitalist society is a business. No one wants to spend money on peer people so that they can eat and get a quality education. We have all the money yet lack an adherence to human rights.
ReplyDeleteIt is extremely ironic that the so called "land of opportunity" is so low on the list. It blows my mind that countries that I would have never guessed, such as Cameroon and the phillipines are ahead of us on this list. I think that something has to change, but with the state of our government, and the way that politics work in this country, I do not see it happening anytime soon.
ReplyDelete-Damarr Gordon
This website on the Gini Index of different countries lists results that do not surprise. With what I have been taught about the way the US works it being placed at 41 with a distribution of family income of 45 makes sense. I do not understand how the United States believes that they have the right to demand and get involved with what occurs in other countries. Like for example Venezuela and Russia that have a lower income inequality compared to the United States.
ReplyDeleteBased on the gini index, Sweden possesses the least amount of income distribution equity compared to other countries. I wonder if a factor such as this impacts the way of life in any way or if population can affect this data.
ReplyDeleteIn a way I was surprised to see the United States to be ranked 44 out 141 on the Gini Index. But in a way I kind of expected it based on the way our society is and how the income gap between the social classes is on the rise in the United States. Our country is more interested in getting involved in what is occurring in other countries and not paying much attention to what is occurring in their own country. It may be true that countries that are ranked lower based on the Gini Index may be more involved and concerned about what is occurring in their own countries. For example Sweden has the least amount of income distribution equity, this could have to deal with the quality of life people are experiencing in Sweden or based off of the jobs that are available to individuals in Sweden. It could also have to do with the programs that the government of Sweden has set up for their members of society. The role that a country plays in their nation may affect how well their country is rated based off of the Gini Index, which measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that the U.S. ranked number 41 in the Gini Index. This is supposed to be the place people want to be to make their dreams come true, but we are in the top 30% for income inequality. A change needs to be made because poverty levels are rising and the top 1% are just getting richer. It doesn't seem fair that 1% of the country is making money while the rest of the 99% are barely getting anything, if at all. We need to take notes from Sweden to figure out how to equally distribute wealth to all that live here instead of monopolizing the economy.
ReplyDeleteIn a way I was surprised to see the United States to be ranked 44 out 141 on the Gini Index. But in a way I kind of expected it based on the way our society is and how the income gap between the social classes is on the rise in the United States. Our country is more interested in getting involved in what is occurring in other countries and not paying much attention to what is occurring in their own country. It may be true that countries that are ranked lower based on the Gini Index may be more involved and concerned about what is occurring in their own countries. For example Sweden has the least amount of income distribution equity, this could have to deal with the quality of life people are experiencing in Sweden or based off of the jobs that are available to individuals in Sweden. It could also have to do with the programs that the government of Sweden has set up for their members of society. The role that a country plays in their nation may affect how well their country is rated based off of the Gini Index, which measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income.
ReplyDelete