Distribution Of Wealth In Society Research Articles

Peran Wakaf Dan Zakat Dalam Meningkatkan Ekonomi Masyarakat Indonesia

Poverty and unemployment are currently complex and serious issues in Indonesia, with one of the primary causes being the unequal distribution of wealth in society. Islam presents a significant potential solution to address these problems through the utilization of zakat and waqf, two concepts deeply rooted in the principles of social justice and economic empowerment. This research aims to analyze the roles of zakat and waqf in improving the economic well-being of Indonesian society, exploring the potential for collecting zakat and waqf funds, and proposing productive waqf management models. The findings of the study reveal the pivotal roles that zakat and waqf play in reducing economic inequality. Zakat can be used to provide direct assistance to those in need and empower the community through small business capital and skills training. On the other hand, waqf has the potential to create long-term investments in economic development by utilizing waqf assets for productive projects that generate employment and income. Additionally, the research highlights the importance of productive and creative management of zakat and waqf funds, including strategic investments in waqf assets. Increasing public awareness of zakat and waqf and fostering collaboration with governmental institutions and communities are identified as key factors in maximizing the potential of zakat and waqf. Educational initiatives and fundraising models, such as conducting fundraising activities at various locations, are also described as crucial steps in achieving economic empowerment and poverty reduction through zakat and waqf. With the right approach, zakat and waqf have the potential to become powerful instruments in alleviating poverty and unemployment in Indonesia, leading to a more prosperous and economically equitable society.

Asya'nın Karayla Çevrili Gelişmekte Olan Ülkeleri İçin Altyapı Finansmanı Alternatifi Olarak İslami Finans

Various infrastructure financing methods are being used worldwide, each with its own set of advantages and obstacles. Basically, the advantages and disadvantages of a financing method manifest differently depending on each country's economic system, geographical location, economic dependency, political conditions, cultures, and beliefs. Using a funding strategy in one country may be beneficial under certain situations but harmful in another. As a result, the usefulness and efficacy of financing methods should be studied in light of the countries' circumstances. The Asian Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC), which share the same fate in terms of geographical constraints and economic reliance, are grappling with severe infrastructural gaps in all sectors. These countries have an emerging economy, are largely dependent on agriculture, have a poor management structure, are unorganised and have weak financial markets, and rely heavily on their neighbours’ transit routes to interact with the global economy. Some of these countries depend upon foreign assistance, and the lack of transparency and binding nature of this funding has had little impact on developing such countries' infrastructure. As a result, in order to finance their infrastructure projects, these countries must select the most acceptable financing option for their circumstances. The national budget constraint, inadequate local financial markets, the risk of foreign credits, and cultural and religious values in these countries are among the obstacles that contemporary financing methods present. Consequently, looking for alternative financing methods for these countries' infrastructure projects is critical. This paper intends to look at infrastructure financing methods and their challenges in Asian landlocked developing countries and evaluate Islamic finance as an alternative to conventional finance. The qualitative research method is used for this study. Furthermore, document analysis has been utilised as a data collection tool. First, the concepts of Islamic finance will be presented before moving on to the definitions and types of infrastructure. Afterwards, the conventional infrastructure financing methods, along with the shortcomings of these methods in Asian landlocked developing countries, will be discussed. Then the development of Islamic finance in Asian LLDCs will be studied. Finally, how Islamic finance addresses the challenges of conventional finance methods will be perused. The study found that the Islamic finance models, which are founded on the principle of shared income or risk sharing, can be implemented as an alternative to conventional finance in infrastructure financing. Public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives can be implemented effectively within the framework of Islamic financing concepts because the elements of the public-private partnership initiatives are congruent with Islamic finance principles. First of all, public-private partnership initiatives allow for risk sharing among project participants, including financiers. In addition, public-private partnership projects allow Islamic financiers to become project participants rather than just lenders. Following that, PPP infrastructure projects are by definition, free of speculation and gambling. Finally, project contracts are frequently well-specified and free of uncertainty. Besides this, creating financial inclusion and risk sharing in the framework of Islamic finance reduces the currency risk and the cost of financing and causes equitable distribution of wealth in society.

Gift Theory as a Gift to the Future

In this dialogue, Luo Hongguang and Yama Yoshiyuki deal with the area of socialized wealth distribution, i.e., the distribution of wealth in society; sees exchange as labor in the broad sense; and points out that among the many systems of exchange, some reflect class but others do not have a class nature, e.g. family division of labor does not fall under class. The social status of family members (their class attributes) does not affect their division of labor and consumption patterns, and even family labor serves as both production and consumption in the household livelihood.

THEORETICAL BASIS OF FISCAL REGULATION OF INCOME AND WEALTH DISTRIBUTION IN SOCIETY

Introduction. The growing inequality in society and the inability of the market economy to reduce its manifestations, in terms of uneven distribution of income and wealth, encourage the state to address this problem as a guarantor of welfare. Hence there is a need for scientific substantiation of the theoretical foundations of the application of various economic instruments for regulating income and wealth in the society, especially – fiscal. The purpose of the article is the theoretical substantiation of the fiscal mechanism of regu­lation of incomes and wealth in society and the definition and description of the role of taxes and expenditures of the state in the functioning of such a mechanism. Results. The study substantiates that the fiscal mechanism for regulating income and wealth in society is based on the movement of financial resources between the subjects of such distribution, which include citizens, corporations and the state. The tax evasion and transition to the shadow economy are the limiting factors in the use of taxes as a tool to reduce inequality in society. Conclusions. The personal income tax has the greatest regulatory potential for the forma­tion of personal income. The corporate taxation is an integral part of reducing the asymmetries of income and wealth distribution in society. The role and mechanism of using public expendi­tures to regulate income inequality depends on the state of socio-economic development of the state and the wealth of the population. It is determined by the type of expenditures that are stimulated or limited by the state.

Distributive justice in society and among peers: 8- to 14-year-olds' views on economic stratification inform their decisions about access to opportunities.

This study examined how children's and adolescents' beliefs about the distribution of wealth in society and the fairness of economic systems informed their behavior, judgments, and reasoning about access to opportunities among peers. The sample included 136 8- to 14-year-olds (47% girls, 60% White, majority middle- to higher-socioeconomic status [SES]) in the United States. Relative to older children, early adolescents viewed economic systems as less fair and wealth as less equally distributed, but still underestimated the true magnitude of existing economic disparities. Importantly, the stronger their system justification beliefs the fewer opportunities participants directed to poor peers over rich peers in an allocation scenario, but the more equally participants believed that wealth should be distributed in society the more opportunities they directed to poor peers. Moreover, participants were more supportive of allocating opportunities to poor peers when they had direct evidence that poor peers had been excluded in the past, and 40% reasoned explicitly about the implications of economic inequality when making their decision. Finally, exploratory associations of family SES and beliefs about distributive justice suggested that experiencing greater economic security may have enabled some participants to more readily critique societal inequality. Together, these findings provide correlational, experimental, and cross-sectional developmental evidence that older children's and early adolescents' beliefs about distributive justice in society inform their decisions about how to address disparities within their sphere of influence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Representaciones del hogar rural en Margarita (1875) de Josefina Pelliza y El lujo (1889) de Lola Larrosa

Este articulo analiza las representaciones del hogar campestre en las novelas argentinas Margarita (1875), de Josefina Pelliza, y El lujo (1889) de Lola Larrosa. En tanto novelas romanticas, de tematica sentimental y rasgos melodramaticos, Margarita y El lujo son principalmente obras consolidadoras de los valores dominantes (sobre todo de aquellos que reglan la conducta femenina como abocada al hogar). Pero dentro deldoble horizonte de deseo propio del melodrama (Singer) estos textos tambien ofrecen representaciones de seres marginales, critican el matrimonio y denuncian la injusta distribucion de la riqueza en la sociedad.

INTEGRATING LAW AND ECONOMICS IN INDONESIA

<span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">The application of “Law and Economics” dates back to 1</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">500 years ago, and has been applied in many eras. </span></span><span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont15">In the 20</span></span><span class="s14"><span class="bumpedFont15">th</span></span><span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont15">Century, </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">Ronald Coase, </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">pioneered the</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> study o</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">f</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> law and economics </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">which was </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">further</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> elaborated by Richard Posner </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">with</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> a new </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">synonimo</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">u</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">sly interchangeable </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">terminology,</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">Economic</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> Analysis of Law</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> (EAL). EAL uses an economic method to analyze how changes in the law </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">a</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">ffect the allocation and distribution of wealth in society</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">. This</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">has provided </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">a</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> foundation</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> of a </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">market approach to the legal decision-making process</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> through the use of various</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">techniques</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">including </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), Cost Effective Analysis (CEA), </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">and </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA)</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">. As one of</span></span><span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont15">the most commonly used</span></span><span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont15"> technique</span></span><span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont15">s</span></span><span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont15">, </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">CBA quantifies the objectives of the </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">law with an </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">ultimate goal</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> of maximizing</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">benefits and minimiz</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">ing </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">costs. </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">It </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">is an analytical tool </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">which </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">searches</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> for variables to indicate economic efficiency. </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">As the </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">legislative </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">drafting process in Indonesia </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">lacks</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> a concrete and measured analytical tool,</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> embedding the law and economics methodology within the regulatory making mechanism can provide more effective laws and regulations.</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">As the world experiences uncertainties during the globalization era, it is imperative for any country to </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">integrate </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">law and economics in </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">the </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">regulatory</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> governance</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">framework </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">to reach a common goal: </span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15">the maximization of social welfare</span></span><span class="s8"><span class="bumpedFont15"> as enshrined in Article 33 of the 1945 Indonesian Constitution.</span></span>

International Mobility Based on Women Labour: Study of Changes in Socio-Economic-Cultural Family Former migrant worker Jakatawa Bulaksari In the village, District Bantarsari, Cilacap Seen From the Perspective of Islamic Economic Theory

Migration is marked by international mobility occurs due to population growth which is not matched by the growth of employment. For women in the village who do not have a higher education and do not have a lot of skills, international mobility is a golden opportunity to improve their families' income. This issue is very complex but interesting to be studied. One of the purpose of this study was to Assess the social, economic, and cultural communities Jakatawa Bulaksari in general, particularly family / former international migrant workers (TKW) before becoming migrant workers, as well as how Islam views women migrant workers, it is well known that in Islam there are three pillars used to build the economic system in the Islamic view, that is how the wealth acquired over ownership (al-milkiyah), and how the management of property ownership (tasharruf fil milkiyah), as well as how the distribution of wealth in society (tauzi'ul tsarwah bayna an- Hoodoo). These three pillars, according to the researchers, the relevant applied in the case of Indonesian Workers (TKI), especially Labor Women (TKW) which is the object of this study were associated with changes in the behavior of economic, social, and cultural. This research was conducted by survey method is the explanation of descriptive research. This research was conducted in the area of Dusun Jakatawa, Bulaksari Village, District Bantarsari, Cilacap. Based on the findings availability of jobs in the hamlet jakatawa was very limited, coupled with limited human resources in the management of agricultural land, as well as the most supportive factor is the lifestyle of a consumer society, lack of education, which raises Hamlet jakatawa option for women to work outside the country.

Two Artificial Neural Networks Meet in an Online Hub and Change the Future (Of Competition, Market Dynamics and Society)

In the future, one may imagine a new breed of antitrust humor. Jokes might start along the following lines: “Two Artificial Neural Network and one Nash equilibrium meet in an online (pub) hub. After a few milliseconds, a unique silent friendship is formed…” Back to the present; we are not sure how this joke might end. Nor can we estimate how funny future consumers would find it. We can, however, explain, at present, how technological advancements have changed, and will continue to change, the dynamics of competition and subsequently the distribution of wealth in society. How algorithms may be used in stealth mode to stabilize and dampen market competition while retaining the facade of a competitive environment. That tale is at the heart of this paper. We first raised algorithmic tacit collusion in 2015. Our recent book, Virtual Competition: The Promise and Perils of the Algorithm-Driven Economy, provides further context and analysis. We illustrate how online tacit collusion may emerge when products are generally homogeneous, sellers do not benefit from brand recognition or loyalty, and markets are transparent and concentrated. Since our book elaborates on the four collusion scenarios, we begin here by outlining one model of tacit collusion and its manifestation online. Taking note of advancements in technology and emerging policies, we move the debate forward in reviewing the possible harm and means to address it. We illustrate with several case studies how the move to an online pricing environment, under certain market conditions, may harm the buyers’ welfare. We note how new technologies may undermine enforcers’ attempts to intervene - as stealth becomes a feature of future strategies. That tale, of course, is not immune from disruptive strategies. We consider the testing of counter-measures in an “algorithmic collusion incubator” to better understand what effectively destabilizes algorithmic tacit collusion. Further, we consider the effects and likelihood of secret dealings. We note how, somewhat counter-intuitively, secret deals in an online environment could reduce, at times, our welfare.

Nierówności społeczno-ekonomiczne a koncepcje sprawiedliwości dystrybutywnej Amartyi Kumar Sena i Johna Rawlsa

Analysis and discussions of philosophical-political and socioeconomic discourse on justice are characterized by great diversity. The multiplicity of approaches and perspectives stems not only from the fact of the complexity of the concept itself, but also from the reason that the question of justice is a central issue for differing from each other various currents of thought in the field of moral theory, the theory of state and law and economics. In a world where there is a limited amount of goods the definition of conditions of their fair division is of paramount importance. This fact is one of the elements justifying the importance of undertaking the issues of distributive justice. In the broader dimension of the cognitive analysis of the problem of justice, it is an interesting area of research and reflection also because it is the central concept from the realm of values creat-ing a basis for social order. Answers to the question about the essence of justice are embedded and derived from values. The values in turn are part of culture, which is formed and on which both depend. The direction and dynamics of the evolution of the individual components of culture are conditioned by the historical changes in the culture and dynamics of change in the world of human values, concepts, ideas and norms. Way of understanding the meaning and significance of the concept of justice is variable depending on what is the dominated understanding of the law, morality and religion in a given culture. This paper focuses on theories of distributive justice of John Rawls’ and Amartya Kumar Sen’s, as attempts to develop a theoretical basis for the optimal mechanism of distribution of wealth in society. In the context of increasing global socio-economic inequalities in the world today it is an important issue both in theoretical and practical dimension. The paper presents the essential elements of theoretical concepts of J. Rawls and AK Sena in terms of analytical and comparative attempt to answer the question of which concept creates more chances for a fair distribution of wealth and reducing the scale of socio-economic inequalities.

Konstruksi Sistem Ekonomi Islam Menuju Kesejahteraan yang Merata

In any economic system, growth and prosperity are the main economic issues. But how to create wealth while creating social justice, then it must be answered by all the systems of the economy. This qualitative study examines the Islamic economic system that is able to create prosperity and social justice to build a noble civilization. The concept of the creation of welfare in Islam is through increased production by giving the prize to anyone who will strive and work. Work is a part of worship. Welfare should be felt by all levels of society through the mechanism of distribution of wealth. This distribution mechanism concerning the mechanism of economic and non-economic mechanism. The economic mechanism is a productive economic activity, followed by production factors provided to society. As for the non-economic mechanism is non-productive activities, for example by way of giving zakat, alms, grants, and others. Both of these mechanisms are outlined in the concept of ownership, ownership management and distribution of wealth in society. Both of these mechanisms must be supported by the role of the state optimally and ethical principals of economics that is sublime. So the welfare and social justice can be realized by working and optimization of the role of the state, ethics sublime and the implementation of economy mechanism and non-economy that spelled out the concept of ownership, ownership management, and distribution of wealth. The Islamic economic system becomes an integral part in building a noble civilization of mankind and has been proven empirically and historically. Empirically, Islamic economy is capable of creating prosperity and staying away from the exploitation of human beings against other human beings. And historically, Islamic economics has been applied for more than a thousand years.

Teaching Wealth Distribution in High School

This article presents detailed instructional plans for a two-day, high school-level lesson on wealth distribution in society. The terms income and wealth are defined and compared, and the significance of studying wealth is discussed. Resources for the lesson are identified, and a pedagogical mode is outlined in relation to democratic citizenship education.

Warning: Corporations May Be Hazardous To Your Health

Warning: Corporations May Be Hazardous To Your Health

Evolutionary Games on Weighted Newman–Watts Small-World Networks

We investigate the evolutionary prisoner's dilemma game (PDG) on weighted Newman–Watts (NW) networks. In weighted NW networks, the link weight wij is assigned to the link between the nodes i and j as: wij = (κi · κj)β, where κi(κj) is the degree of node i(j) and β represents the strength of the correlations. Obviously, the link weight can be tuned by only one parameter β. We focus on the cooperative behavior and wealth distribution in the system. Simulation results show that the cooperator frequency is promoted by a large range of β and there is a minimal cooperation frequency around β = – 1. Moreover, we also employ the Gini coefficient to study the wealth distribution in the population. Numerical results show that the Gini coefficient reaches its minimum when β ≈ – 1. Our work may be helpful in understanding the emergence of cooperation and unequal wealth distribution in society.

The Quran and Poverty Alleviation

The Quran prohibits interest and encourages trade and charity as alternates. This article seeks guidance from the verses of the Quran and develops a theoretical model of charity-based Islamic microfinance institutions (MFIs), which can be used as an alternative approach to reduce poverty. The article argues that charity-based Islamic MFIs will be financially and socially sustainable as these are to be based on the concepts of brotherhood, local philanthropy, and volunteer services. Charity-based Islamic MFIs will provide money for consumption as well as production purposes and, thus, can broadly target the economic and social needs of the poorest of the poor. They can help minimize indebtedness and reduce unequal distribution of wealth in society.

Does the road to serfdom lead to the Servile State?

Hilaire Belloc's The Servile State is often seen as an antisocialist tract arguing that “socialism is slavery.” It is typically assumed that an appreciation and defense of free market capitalism, as well as a general dislike of government intervention must motivate the its thesis. Nevertheless The Servile State is an argument against what Belloc saw as unbridled capitalism not collectivism. Belloc defines capitalism to mean a state in which there is a skewed distribution of wealth in society where the majority of people are dispossessed, proletariat, and a minority makes up the capitalist, property owning class. For Belloc capitalism is an inherently unstable system and servile measures arise to ameliorate insecurity and instability.

An analytic treatment of the Gibbs–Pareto behavior in wealth distribution

We develop a general framework, based on Boltzmann transport theory, to analyze the distribution of wealth in societies. Within this framework we derive the distribution function of wealth by using a two-party trading model for the poor people, while for the rich people a new model is proposed, where interaction with wealthy entities (huge reservoir) is relevant. At equilibrium, the interaction with wealthy entities gives a power-law (Pareto-like) behavior in the wealth distribution, while the two-party interaction gives a Boltzmann–Gibbs distribution.

A Model of the Distribution of Wealth in Society

A model of the distribution of wealth in society will be presented. The model is based on an agent-based Monte Carlo simulation where interaction (exchange of wealth) is allowed along the edges of a small-world network. The interaction is like inelastic scattering and it is characterized by two constants. Simulations of the model show that the distribution behaves as a power-law and it agrees with results of Pareto.

2 The Essential Henry George

I agreed to undertake this assignment from motives practical and pedagogical, though not entirely without a touch of sentiment. There was an occasion in my undergraduate days when my academic progress depended upon a forty-minute report concerning an American philosopher. Through one of those fortuities that illumine the paths of even the dull-witted, I stumbled upon Henry George. Thereupon, as I remember, lights shone and bells rang. I proceeded to make myself the advocate of the single tax, and--since no one in class had heard of it before--my report was a resounding success. That was in the 1930s, and I have learned since how to temper my enthusiasms and moderate my aims. But such moments of discovery are to be treasured; they come far too seldom in academic life. Perhaps, then, the following summary of Progress and Poverty may serve to shine a light or to ring a bell for some student of this present generation. It was the role of land in society that constituted the massive pre-occupation of Henry George, and the fact that the publication of his major work in 1879 generated sympathetic rumblings throughout much of the world indicated that he had touched upon a fundamental theme of political economy. It is strange, then, that the subject of land economics, particularly in its theoretical aspects, receives such scant attention at present. Perhaps this is because of the inertia that attends upon a long-institutionalized social arrangement, as differentiated from the otherwise fluid elements of an industrial economy. But it may also be that economists have simply neglected that which seemed to George of such paramount concern: the relationship of land rent to fiscal policy and the impact of both upon industrial development, income distribution, urban growth, and the like. The land, according to both Genesis and geology, preceded the advent of man into the world, and there is no doubt that landed wealth has enjoyed a more persistent history than any other form. Even today, when a sophisticated economics has transmuted every kind of wealth into some variety of liquid capital, the land has continued to play its unique role. It is the very assumption upon which human existence is based, and the taken-for-granted foundation of all productive activity; it can be modified by man, but not created or destroyed except in tiny patches, and its essential qualities are impervious to either boom or depression. If--as the dictum prescribes--a book should be so written that its message can be presented in a single sentence, the argument of Progress and Poverty might be stated thus: that the natural land ought everywhere to be regarded as a community, rather than as a private, resource and that its rental value should accordingly be recaptured as public revenue by the community, thereby eliminating the need of any taxes upon productive enterprise. It is by no means adventitious that this statement combines an ethical proposition with an economic prescription. Henry George was primarily a social philosopher (the greatest this country has had, according to John Dewey) rather than a professional economist. But it was precisely the core of his conviction that the two realms of man's life, the moral and the material, must be brought into harmony, If men are degraded by the conditions of their labor, if their wages can buy no more than animal existence, or if some part of their effort is appropriated by nonproducers, then how, George asks, can such an economic system accord with either natural or human justice? He is confident that it is possible to find rational, and therefore just, principles that can be made to govern the production and distribution of wealth in society. It is the search for such economic principles that George undertakes in his Progress and Poverty. In the course of nearly 600 pages he makes an exhaustive analysis of the principal economic categories of his time: wealth, value, labor, capital, interest, and land. …

The Business Responsibility for Wealth Distribution in a Globalized Political-Economy: Merging Moral Economics and Catholic Social Teaching

If it is accepted that the real marketplace does not necessarily distribute wealth in the manner that the ideal market would have done, and that societal institutions have an obligation to bring the real and ideal market distributions into accord, then it can be argued that economic actors have a responsibility to consider the effects of their activities on the distribution of wealth in society. This paper asserts that businesses have a responsibility to consider the wealth distribution effects of their wealth-creating decisions. We use arguments from moral economics and Catholic social teaching to support this assertion, deriving decision principles that we apply to the Starbucks fair trade coffee case.