Doug: > Where is this pauperization happening exactly? Charles: > What do you mean ?
there are several kinds of "pauperization" (or immiseration). First, there is absolute pauperization, a fall in the real values of incomes. Second, there is relative pauperization: even though most incomes are rising, the income gap between the rich and the poor grows. There's also a third kind of pauperization that Mike Lebowitz points to in his BEYOND CAPITAL: one's income is rising, but one's needs are rising faster. In one interpretation, one's pecuniary income rises but (1) there are fewer public goods and external benefits supplied and (2) there are more external costs, where the combination of these two swamps the rise in income. Some examples. On #1, if the public libraries close, suddenly you have to buy books (or set up your own library) to get the same benefits from your income. The trolley system is shut down, so you need a car. On #2, the increased pollution in the air means that you have to buy a gas mask, an asthma inhaler, etc. -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
