THE rich just keep on getting richer. In most developed nations inequality has been growing for decades; last year the that its 34 member countries were more unequal than at any time in the past 30 years.
As the gulf between rich and poor rises up the political agenda so it has become an object of scientific study. The findings are not encouraging for anyone.
There is already ample evidence that people at the bottom suffer a range of health problems. More controversially, unequal societies appear to have higher levels of social ills, from teenage pregnancy to violence and obesity, that affect quality of life across the board (麻豆传媒, 16 April 2011, p 50).
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Now there is another reason to decry growing inequality. Greater wealth correlates with selfishness and lack of empathy (see 鈥淲hy money can鈥檛 buy you love: the unexpected price of wealth鈥�), which might help explain why the divide persists and the rich seem so reluctant to close it.
Apologists for inequality argue that it is harmless, or even a powerful motivator. The evidence suggests otherwise. A huge gap between have and have-nots is bad both for individuals and for society. It is in everybody鈥檚 interests that we narrow it.