Episode details

World Service,28 Sep 2019,53 mins
For richer or poorer: Does global inequality matter?
The World DebateAvailable for over a year
No one doubts the world’s rich are getting richer, but does this widening inequality matter if, as the statistics appear to show, global capitalism is lifting so many out of extreme poverty? Life for millions has undoubtedly improved in places like China and India thanks to global capitalism. Others argue this level of inequality is unsustainable, because it’s not just about the unfair distribution of money – it’s also about the inequality of opportunity, of voice and of access to resources. In a world already facing the challenges of exploding population growth and climate change, will super-rich global elites foster resentment, dangerous discontent and political populism? Zeinab Badawi discusses the issues with a high-profile panel at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers event in New York. Does global inequality really matter, and should we care? And if we should, what should we do about it? Panel - Mo Ibrahim, businessman, philanthropist Sigrid Kaag, minister for foreign trade & development cooperation, Netherlands Kay James, president of the Heritage Foundation John Fugelsang, political comedian, actor, broadcaster, commentator Produced by Ben Carter for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service.
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