Beyond these global trends, there are a number of trends unique to Denmark that have resulted to an increase in inequality. The decades leading up to the Great Divergence in Denmark have a significant relationship with how the economy would behave in the years after. During World War I, Denmark experienced a marked increase and abrupt decline in inequality due to a lack of economic preparedness for a drawn-out conflict resulting in a volatile market (Atkinson & Søgaard, 2016, pp. 283). Danish preparedness for World War II allowed for less of a major impact to the economy and a further decrease in inequality throughout the Great Compression. A major part of their fiscal policy after the war was the trend of rising marginal tax rates (Atkinson
3. What are the effects of this wealth inequality in the US and what causes it, as well as some possible solutions and their ramifications, will all be discussed and answered below. There has always been a wealth gap between the richest and poorest in society. However, in the past decade, the wealth gap between the richest and poorest citizens in the US has been growing rapidly. In the 70s and 80s, the wealth and income growth rate for both poor and rich people were similar, however, between the years 2009 and 2012 the top 1% income increased 31% while for the bottom 20%, their income actually dropped and for the vast majority of Americans, the average yearly income only increased by 0.4% [4].
Income inequality has been and will forever continue to be a highly discussed topic in society. As a social experiment, income equality has historically failed. The adage from the communist era “from each according to his ability; to each according to his needs,” ran counter to human nature and experience. On balance, there are positive aspects to unequal income which include; its success in creating a more educated work force, competition among people to succeed and more stimulated productivity, which do not always, but tend to balance out any negative impacts such as; concentration of wealth, social consequences and outsourcing, that it may have.
Firebaugh, Glenn. "The Trend in Between-Nation Income Inequality." Annual Review of Sociology (2000): 323-352. online.
Frank, Robert H. Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class. Berkeley: University of California, 2007. Print.
Income inequality in the United States, as of 2007, has reached levels not seen since 1928. In 1928, the top one percent received nearly 24% of all income within the United States (Volscho & Kelly, 2012). This percentage fell to nearly nine percent in 1975, but has risen to 23.5% as of 2007 (Volscho & Kelly, 2012). Meanwhile, in 2007 (see
“A Guide to Statistics on Historical Trends in Income Inequality.” cbpp.org. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2013. Web. 06 April. 2014. .
In the short story “The Danish Way of Life”, author Jamie Gullen, who is a native of New York City spent several months in Copenhagen. She went expecting Copenhagen to be similar culturally to the United States only to find she had a lot to learn about herself and about this new country. In another short story called “Where Are You From?” the author Patricia Park, also a native of New York City, but the daughter of Korean immigrants, also traveled to another country, Korea. She went expecting to find Korea to be the way her parents had described it. The “motherland” as she explained, was a family myth. Although both of these authors grew up in the same city, of the same country, they had two different experiences when
Denmark is a small high-income country with a high population density, is governed by a constitutional monarchy, has a central parliament and is administratively divided into regions, municipalities and has 2 dependencies (Greenland and the Faroe Islands) (Kravitz & Treasure, 2009). It has a national health service (funded by general taxation) and a decentralized healthcare system in which the individual regions run most services and the municipalities are responsible for some public health services (Kravitz & Treasure, 2009). However, a process of (re) centralization (under the structural reform of 2007) has been taking place, which has lowered the number of regions from 14 to 5 and the municipalities from 275 to 98 (Olejaz, Nielsen, Rudkjøbing, Okkels, Krasnik & Hernández-Quevedo, 2012; Schäfer et al., 2010). The hospital structure is also undergoing reform, moving towards fewer, bigger and more specialized hospitals (Olejaz, Nielsen, Rudkjøbing, Okkels, Krasnik & Hernández-Quevedo, 2012). Greenland and the Faroe Islands are independent in health matters but follow the Danish Legislation (Kravitz & Treasure, 2009). The National Board of Health (NBH) (based in Copenhagen) is responsible for the legislation concerning dentistry in Denmark (Kravitz & Treasure, 2009; Schäfer et al., 2010).
The greatest benefit comes from how a political economy analyses power, influence, and political ideology to shape public policy-making. (Bryant 2015, Coburn 2010, and Raphael 2010,2015) agree that, social democratic welfare states (e.g., Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) have the most ideal political economy, as they are least stratified and enjoy more government funded social aid programs, hence, less prevalence of social inequality. Therefore, the recipe for achieving a society with low social inequality and improved conditions for SODH; involves a change in the political economy, which requires governments addressing social and or public policies. In providing more social for its people, will in turn improve health outcomes and result in
The Great Divergence is term used to portray the gradual shift of dominance that Europe gained by establishing itself as the most powerful world civilization by the 19th century. While a case could be made that the Great Divergence occurred because of the pre-eminence of Europe and Britain, as well as their supposed superiority in invention and innovation above anywhere else in the world, this argument is flawed. A more compelling argument would be to state that it was rather through the geographical advantages that Europe obtained that lead it into eventually becoming the most powerful civilization after 1500 A.D., as this essay will strive to demonstrate.
Tim, V. R. & Marx, I. (2013). Growing Inequalities and Their Impacts in Belgium. GINI
"Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising." OECD. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. .
In ascertaining the differences and similarities between European and Western neighbours in how education serves its purpose, this essay will address various areas that concern the historical, political and social perspectives of primary schooling between both Danish and its English counterparts with reference to key issues such as relevant areas of concern. Thus highlighting matters such as the difference in starting ages; varied approaches to the curriculum and assessments in how both countries address its education, it is therefore significant in evaluating the backgrounds in both the Danish and English primary schools. This essay will emphasise how influential factors in education has developed in light of the twenty-first century, evaluating ideology which has directed both primary schools aims and outcomes that exemplifies the difficult outlook of education and learning viewed by its pupils as well as the teachers. Furthermore, highlighting and providing evidence for the importance of understanding the socio-cultural context and how learning takes place to meet the requirements and reinforce analysis on educational modifications in comparing educational systems and their outcome and effectiveness, this essay endeavours to provide knowledge, in comparing both countries’ primary schooling.
The Nordic Model is the term for the Scandinavian states economic system. The government equally provides the same thing for each of its citizens. Many things are provided by the government, like universities, health care, maternity leave and social security. But there are other aspects of the Nordic Model too. Social Democrats support regulated private enterprise, high taxes in return for high public service, thorough working laws, like minimum wage and working conditions, and a strong policy of equality for all citizens. However, to make all these things possible, citizens must pay high taxes. In Norway, for example, the majority of ...
The culture of Denmark is both traditional and modern. Denmark is known for being the happiest country in the world and the Danes were considered to be the strongest and tallest of the Nordic tribes. It is not certain where the Danes originated from, but some believed they came from the southern part of the Scandinavian peninsula ("Denmark." Encyclopedia Americana). Most people in Denmark are Evangelical Lutherans (“Denmark” CIA World Factbook). The Evangelical Lutheran Church “is an institution with deep roots in Danish history, and people rally to it in times of grave crisis, such as World War II, but it is hardly a vital social force. It engages extensively in social work, however, and parish clergy still collect vital statistics for the state. Attendance at church services is extremely low” ("Denmark." Encyclopedia Americana). The Danish language is similar to Norwegian and Swedish and the Latin alphabet is most commonly used ("Denmark." Encyclopedia Americana). Education is very important to the people of Denmark and they are very lucky that the government provides them free education (Murphy). Beginning at the age of seven, children begin Folkeskolen, a primary school, where they learn math, history, geography, science, art, music, physical education, and religion ("Denmark." Encyclopedia Americana). They also study and learn Danish, German, and English languages (Murphy). After attending Folkeskolen for nine years, some students move on to high school and some choose a trade school ("Denmark." Encyclopedia Americana). Many adults also attend high school in Denmark to learn more about sports, history, culture, or literature (Murphy). The people of Denmark eat many of the same foods ...