POSITION PAPER
Introduction
The debate on whether income equality should be a human right has been an issue of concern in the recent past. We should treat Income equality as a human right; the primary argument for this position is resource distribution, innovation, elimination of exploitation, and empowerment. On the other hand, it should not be considered a human right because it would create a shortage of labor, promote laziness, and eliminate competition.
Income inequality is increasing rapidly; 10 percent of the wealthy people in the world earn up to 40 percent of the total global income. According to OECD statistics, 82 percent of all revenue generated in 2017 rose by 1 percent, whereas the base 50 percent did not increase at all (Iosifidi & Mylonidis, 2017). The other reason why it should be a human right is resource distribution. People within specific regions have access to the same resources, and income disparities are known to be disadvantageous to those with low incomes (Ghanea, 2017). The creation of an equal income society offers everyone an equal opportunity to access the available resources.
The food, shelter, healthcare, and education are some of the basic human needs. Disparities in income have been the leading cause of death, unhealthy living, and poverty in some of the societies that are deemed rich in resources (Fajth, Kurukulasuriya, & Engilbertsdóttir, 2012). By creating a similar income system, all the people within such environments would be in a position to equally exploit and use the resources available in their neighborhoods.
The same would also eliminate or reduce the exploitation of the poor by the rich. In an unequal income society, the rich are always the primary beneficiaries. Because of the inability to explore the resources available, the poor are known to turn to the rich for help in such situations. In an equal income society, however, everyone is provided with the same chance of advancing in terms of trade and agriculture and several other areas within their economy.
Empowerment is also another benefit associated with an equal income. When people have an opportunity to participate in income-generating activities equally, they gain more knowledge, build expansive and stable relationships, and participate in income policy development activities. Such communities are known to thrive much faster than in cases of unequal income. Governments wishing to empower their people to spur development should, therefore, address the issue of income equality and make it a human right.
Enhancement of participation in various activities such as government elective positions is also some of the issues that equal income as a human right can help build. When people have an equal opportunity, they also have equal access to power, hence helping choose the right leaders to the positions of leadership as opposed to the current situation where those of high incomes have higher chances of rising to power (Dudush, 2016).
Regular income leads to a shortage of labor, thus the creation of an environment for innovation (Lara & Shores, 2017). When firms lack people to work for them since everyone has an equal opportunity, they turn to the development of technology to fill the gap. The same also helps in the development of the technology sector, which is crucial for the sustainability of the future economy. Most governments across the world are striving to have an entire technology revolutionized economy to drive its future agenda.
On the contrary, equal income as a human right has its disadvantages. When revenues are similar, the chances of the labor shortage are very high. Under normal circumstances, the low-income earners mostly act as laborers in farms and various organizations which are managed or run by the high-income earners (Lahav, 2015). According to OECD statistics, income inequality in such nations is at its peak point for 50 years. The average income of the wealthiest 10 percent of the people is about 9.5 times high than that of the low-income earners 10 percent. Income inequality is even further evident, with 10 percent investing half of the total possessions, while the bottom 40 percent spend only 3 percent (Iosifidi & Mylonidis, 2017). By creating an equal income society, most firms would lose labor from this group of people, thus becoming obsolete.
By creating an equal income society, competition, which is essential to growth, would be eliminated (Song, Zhu, & Chen, 2011). The community would, in turn, create a lazy population, thus slowing down economic growth. It would only be wise to encourage hard work to achieve individual desired financial gains as opposed to having the same provided for as a human right. The low-income earners must be given space to work hard for themselves while the rich must also have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of their hard work without control.
Conclusion
Income equality should be a human right because it enhances empowerment, promotes innovation, and improves on the resource distribution. On the other hand, making is a human right that promotes laziness, eliminates competition, and depletes cheap labor. It is, therefore, crucial to strike a balance in debating the issue. The thesis must outweigh the anti-thesis for its implementation.
References
Dudush, U. (2016). Trade, Development, and Inequality. Global Inequality.
Fajth, G., Kurukulasuriya, S., & Engilbertsdóttir, S. (2012). A multidimensional response to tackling child poverty and disparities: reflections from the Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities. Global Child Poverty and Well-being 525-544. doi:10.1332/policypress/9781847424822.003.0021
Ghanea, N. (2017). Religion, Equality, and Non-Discrimination. Religion and Equality Law, 95-108. doi:10.4324/9781315088945-6
Iosifidi, M., & Mylonidis, N. (2017). Relative effective taxation and income inequality: Evidence from OECD countries. Journal of European Social Policy, 27(1), 57-76.
Lara, B., & Shores, K. (2017). Identifying Preferences for Equal Educational Opportunity, Income, and Income Equality. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2996575
Lahav, G., (2015). Global Challenge of the refugee exodus. Human Rights.
Song, S., Zhu, E., & Chen, Z. (2011). Equal Work Opportunity but Unequal Income. The Chinese Economy, 44(1), 39-45. doi:10.2753/1097-1475440103