Some degree of income inequality is inevitable and in some cases justified. What we still consider fair varies from person to person and is reflected, for example, in political colour. But when is inequality morally too great?
Many people find inequality unfair when it is the result of circumstances, so the things you have no control over: race, gender, inheritance. Unlike effort, in other words, the things you have an influence on: education, working hours or ambition.
But this is not the only ethical factor, said researcher Andreas Peschel. Scientias. nl† “Imagine that you are distributing soup to the poor. When they come to you one by one and hand you soup, you are told that before the person had a ‘good start’ in life, but then it was over ‘” because of his own choices. Can you then pull your hand and not Giving soup? If not, then there is clearly another ethical factor that breaks through the equal opportunity argument: namely, poverty breaking.”
According to researchers, inequality may exist as long as it is the result of effort, but there is a limit: no one should end up poor. “On the other hand, people should be held accountable for decisions that are within their control,” says Peschel. “On the other hand, there should be a limit to extreme cases.” Therefore, researchers argue that fair equality consists of equal opportunity as well as the absence of poverty.
Using this measure, the researchers examined unfair income inequality in 31 European countries. Then the Netherlands would be the country with the fairest income inequality. Beschel: According to our metric, income is distributed fairly in the Netherlands (7.0 percent), Finland (9.3 percent) and Norway (12.5 percent). This makes the Netherlands the least unfair country according to our research.”
The most unfair is inequality in Greece, Lithuania, Italy and Romania, where the numbers are around 30 percent. According to researchers, the main reason for this is still the impact of the 2010 European debt crisis. The US also scores very poorly on the scale. Unfair inequality has doubled since 1980.
sources): Scientists
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