The Netherlands scores well – Wel.nl
A certain degree of income inequality is unavoidable and in some cases justified. What we still consider fair, per person and can be seen, for example, in political color. But when is inequality too great morally?
Many people think it’s similar if it’s the result of circumstances, so things you have no influence on: race, gender, heritage. With effort, indeed what you actually have influence on: education, hours that you work from ambition.
“But this is not the only moral factor that plays a role,” says researcher Andreas Peichl on Scientias.nl† “Imagine you are handing out soup to the poor. As they come to you one by one and hand you the soup, you are told that the person before you has had a ‘good start’ in life, but then it’s over” if not, then clearly another moral factor passes through the equal opportunity argument: namely, that of breaking through poverty.”
According to the researchers, inequality may exist as long as it is the result of effort, but there is a limit: someone should not end up in poverty. “On the one hand, people need to be held accountable for decisions within themselves,” says Peichl. “On the other hand, there has to be a limit for extreme cases.” The researchers therefore argue that fair equality consists of equality of opportunity plus the absence of poverty.
On the basis of this staff, the researched the unfair income inequality in 31 European countries. The Netherlands would then be the country with the fairest income inequality. Peichl: “According to our measure, income is most equitably distributed in the Netherlands (7.0 percent), Finland (9.3 percent) and Norway (12.5 percent). is, according to our research, the least country.”
The most unfair is the inequality in Greece, Lithuania, Italy and Romania, with figures of around 30 percent. According to the researchers, the main cause of this is still the impact of the European debt crisis of 2010. The United States is also extremely bad on the scale. Unfair inequality has more than doubled since 1980.
Sources): Scientias