If you switched on your TV on September 17th 2011 to watch the 8 o'clock news, there is no doubt you have heard about a movement called “Occupy Wall Street”. A group of people started occupying Zuccotti Park in New York’s financial district in Lower Manhattan. But what is this all about? According to the movement’s website, the aim is to denounce the tremendous inequality dividing the USA’s population and to fight against the corruption and greed of the Top 1%.
The distribution of income among the income groups has drastically changed over time. While the income of the bottom 99% of people increased only slightly, that of the Top 1% skyrocketed, creating a massive divergence.
This is the main problem that the Occupy Wall Street movement addresses, which is not only up-to-date in the USA, but also in many other countries of the world.
Additionally, apart from income there are also other important aspects to inequality like education and health care that are required to form a bigger context, which is the goal of this thesis.
Table of contents
List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations
Introduction: Inequality - A Recent Topic
1 Definition of Inequality
2 Aspects of Inequality in the USA today
2.1 Education
2.2 Health Care
2.3 Political Participation and Representation
2.4 Labor Markets and Other Sources of Income
3 The Vicious Cycle of Inequality
4 An Example of Inequality: Appalachian Poverty
4.1 Causes of Appalachian Poverty
4.2 Effects of Appalachian Poverty
Conclusion: Possible Ways Out of Inequality
Appendix
A) Percent Distribution of Reasons for Not Voting
B) Types of Residence by Family Income
Bibliography
- Quote paper
- Sonja Schricker (Author), 2012, United States of Inequality. Aspects of Inequality in the USA Today, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/343513
-
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X.