What Causes Inequality and Poverty?

Almost every day there is a news story that tells us that economic inequality has reached an all time high. The wealth gap is becoming a chasm. How did we get here? What is it that has made our world so unequal?

Today – 16th October – is Blog Action Day, when bloggers from around the world are encouraged to push together to raise awareness about a pressing social issue. This year the issue they are focusing on is inequality. You can find more by following #BAD2014.

We would like to look at how this came to be.

The reality is that inequality is manufactured. The system is rigged deeply in the favour of those who have the money. These are big corporations and banks who’ve used their wealth to influence our politics, society and the economy to help them hoard more money.

It’s not just economic inequality. Pick-up any social issue, and at the root of it you will find the same systemic flaw. Those making the rules are making them for their own benefit. To bring about  positive change in our world we first need to change the rules that govern it.

As the 1% make the rules, and bail themselves out when things go wrong, the rest of us are told to keep ‘working hard’ to get there. Poverty or inequality cannot be ‘cured’ or eradicated like our governments want us to believe. It is not a disease, it is a creation of governments and corporations.

To find out more details about how poverty and inequality are created, read the following:

The poverty creation industry:
http://thinkafricapress.com/economy/blog/who-creates-poverty-the-rules

How the World Bank drives inequality:
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/23298-whats-really-driving-inequality

Are economic growth and social justice incompatible:
http://truth-out.org/news/item/24697-are-economic-growth-and-social-justice-incompatible