Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz: American Dream now a myth
Once seen as the land of
opportunity, the U.S. today is grappling with
rising inequality and a political system that benefits the rich at the expense
of others, resulting in lower growth and risking the death of the American
dream, according to Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.
"The U.S. worked hard to create the American dream of
opportunity. But today, that dream is a myth," Stiglitz wrote in an
opinion piece in the Financial Times last
week.
Stiglitz said U.S. inequality is at the highest point in nearly a
century and the gap between those with the median income and those at the top
is growing.
"The U.S. used to think of itself as a middle-class country -
but this is no longer true," he said. "Today, a child's life chances
are more dependent on the income of his or her parents than in Europe , or any other of the advanced industrial countries for which there are
data."
According to a Census Bureau report, U.S. household income inequality has grown by 18% since
1967, although this trend has slowed in recent years. Wealth disparity is also
proving to be a hot topic during the 2012 election year, with Democrats arguing
that Republican candidate Mitt Romney's wealth makes him
out of touch with ordinary Americans.
According to Stiglitz,
regulations, particularly those governing the financial sector are contributing
to the disparities. "Financial
regulations allow predatory lending and abusive credit-card practices that
transfer money from the bottom to the top. So do bankruptcy laws that provide
priority for derivatives," he said.
Stiglitz argues that
Americans were increasingly being made to think that higher income inequality
was a byproduct of faster growth, but he says that's a false choice. The U.S. economy grew faster in the decades after the Second World War, when
inequalities were lower, than it did after 1980, he said.
"Textbooks teach us
that we can have a more egalitarian society only if we give up growth or
efficiency," he said. "However, closer analysis shows that we are
paying a high price for inequality: it contributes to social, economic and
political instability, and to lower growth."
Western countries with the
healthiest economies, such as those in Scandinavia , have the highest degree of equality, Stiglitz
noted.
To prevent the worsening
disparities, Stiglitz argues that the U.S. should stop cutting public education and other
programs that enhance opportunities for the middle-class and the poor.
"President Obama's support
for these investments, as well as the "Buffett rule" that asks those
at the top to pay at least as much in tax as a share of their income as those
who are less fortunate, are moves in the right direction," he said.
He criticized Republican
proposals to extend the Bush-era tax cuts on capital gains. But a number of
economists as well as Democrats have come out in recent months in support of
extending the tax cuts.
"The
country will have to make a choice: if it continues as it has in recent
decades, the lack of opportunity will mean a more divided society, marked by
lower growth and higher social, political and economic instability," he
said.
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