Today's Date: March 28, 2024
$122.5 Million Healthcare Transformation Grant Launches Center for Better Aging   •   Details of “SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024” Showcase Program Announced   •   Morningstar Publishes Fourth Annual Corporate Sustainability Report   •   BMO Recognized for Gender Equity by Report on Business' Women Lead Here List 2024   •   Join Us as We Stand Together and March Against Hate in Dallas, Texas   •   G&A INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES 2024 PATHFINDER WEBINAR SERIES: Navigating the New Regulatory Environment for Corporate Sustainabili   •   Leading In-Home Care Franchise Looks to Expand in La Crosse   •   Reveal Technology, Inc. Receives $3.2M Award With U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL)   •   Colibri Group Announces Partnership with The University of Tulsa for Professional Licensure Program for Students in Real Estate,   •   Boston Children’s Hospital and NRG Energy celebrate $1 million milestone, thanks to the Choose to Give program   •   The reopening of the Yokohama Museum of Art adds another innovative and distinctive venue for events in Yokohama   •   /R E M I N D E R -- Travelling for Easter? The Canada Border Services Agency gives tips for a smooth trip/   •   ElementalTV and Spanglish Movies Partner to Accelerate US Hispanic Market Activations in CTV Advertising: 'Spanglish Audiences'   •   Eight new sustainability-themed experiences—exclusive to Yokohama—for convention participants   •   iLearningEngines, Inc. to Add Michael Moe and Sir Ian Davis to its Board of Directors   •   Yiwugo Embraces Surge in Demand for Chinese Trendy Products: Hanfu & Handcrafted Beads in Vogue   •   LambdaTest Launches The Phoenix Project, an Employee Resource Group for Women   •   The NRP Group and Housing Authority of the City of Austin Celebrate Grand Opening of The Markson, a 330-Unit Mixed-Income Commun   •   Guaranteed Rate Welcomes New Atlanta Branch Manager, Carlos Mata   •   Jack Link’s® Unveils a Sweet Collaboration with Dr Pepper® That Brings Two Classic Tastes Together
Bookmark and Share

ECONOMIC OPS ESCAPING MINORITIES

 WASHINGTON -- The rising income inequality that often accompanies rapid economic growth can often mean certain minority groups are disproportionately likely to be excluded from new economic opportunities. Gallup data indicate that among the world's poorer countries, residents are less likely to see their communities as good places for racial and ethnic minorities as GDP increases. Among countries with average annual incomes above $8,000, however, higher GDP levels are linked to more widespread perceptions of minority acceptance.

Gallup poll
Black News, African American News, Minority News, Civil Rights News, Discrimination, Racism, Racial Equality, Bias, Equality, Afro American News

Residents of Canada (89%) and the U.S. (83%) are among the most likely in the world to say their communities are good places for racial and ethnic minorities, as are residents of Niger (91%) and Burundi (89%). The former two countries are among the richest in the world, while the latter two are among the poorest. Among countries in the middle of the GDP spectrum, however, the proportion rarely rises above 70%.

These findings are based on Gallup surveys in 109 countries in 2009. The U-shaped pattern is reminiscent of an economic theory known as the Kuznets curve, which argues that income inequality tends to increase in the early stages of a country's economic development until average income reaches a certain level, after which it tends to decline.

Economists offer various theories on why inequality may start to decrease when a country's economy rises above a certain GDP level. One of the most common ideas is that at some point in a country's economic growth, pressure builds to implement institutional reforms that allow more people to participate in the growth process; for example, by establishing secure property rights or basic education for all citizens. Inclusiveness becomes greater as these institutions develop, leading to stronger growth.

This idea implies that countries where rapid growth is occurring and GDP levels are in the "turnaround" range may be prone to instability if they are not taking steps to provide all residents with economic opportunities.

Gallup's data suggest a parallel effect may apply to perceived opportunities for racial and ethnic minorities. As noted, the turnaround range in the previous graph is about $8,000 in GDP per capita, or about 3.9 in log GDP per capita. (This article uses GDP figures from 2008 to avoid having to account for the effects of the global recession.) Countries in the $6,000 to $10,000 range with average annual growth of at least 4% from 1999 to 2008 are listed in the graph below.

Gallup poll
Black News, African American News, Minority News, Civil Rights News, Discrimination, Racism, Racial Equality, Bias, Equality, Afro American News

In two of the countries on this list -- Ukraine and Thailand -- respondents were particularly unlikely to say their communities were good places for racial and ethnic minorities. Each country has struggled with prolonged political and social instability in recent years. Though they were not asked about racial and ethnic minorities in 2009 (and so are not included in this analysis), Egypt and Tunisia also fell into this GDP range in 2008, and both averaged about 5% growth between 1999 and 2008, suggesting perceptions of inclusiveness were particularly relevant in those countries prior to their revolutions.

Implications

Social inclusiveness is likely to be increasingly important as all countries come to rely more heavily on the productivity and innovation of their "human capital" for long-term economic development. Countries that are in the early stages of growth -- whether from natural resources, infrastructure development, or other means -- should recognize that maintaining that growth over the long term is likely to require harnessing the talents and energy of all social groups. As the reform movement sweeping the Arab world has demonstrated, if leaders are unable or unwilling to find ways to translate their growth into inclusive economic opportunities, they may risk having change forced on them from within.

 


STORY TAGS: Gallup poll , Black News, African American News, Minority News, Civil Rights News, Discrimination, Racism, Racial Equality, Bias, Equality, Afro American News

Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News