PACS 4500
Senior Seminar in
Peace and Conflict Studies
Section 001
Guy Burgess
Pictures
D2L
D2L
D2L
Online Reserve Readings
The Paradigms
Anti-War / Protest
Nonviolent Direct Action
Conflict Resolution
Peacebuilding
Complexity?
Complexity
The Inequality Problem
Optimal U.S. Wealth Distribution
http://www.people.hbs.edu/mnorton/norton ariely in press.pdf
Optimal Wealth Distribution
Support for Reducing Inequality
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/06/the-divided-states-of-america-in-25-charts/277303/
The 1% vs. the 99%
Source: Non-partisan Congressional
Budget Office http://1.usa.gov/KMX1Ci
The Real Redistribution Problem
Between 1979 and 2007
Income Shares for the richest 1% grew from
8% to 17%
In 2007 alone this amounted to
$1,100 billion
For Comparison
$586 billion -- Social Security
$548 billion -- Defense
$394 billion -- Medicare
$276 billion -- Medicaid and other health related
$90 billion -- Education and training
$33 billion -- Natural resources and environment
$32 billion -- Foreign affairs
$25 billion -- Science and technology
Higher Education Access by Income
http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/MCTF_staff_report_barriers_to_college_FINAL.p
df
Unemployment
http://floatingpath.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/USUnemployment-Rate-by-Age-April-2013.png
Unemployment
http://floatingpath.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/10/Unemployment-Rate-by-Race.png
Joblessness Index
http://www.tradersnarrative.com/unemployment-throws-cold-water-on-rate-hike-talk-3446.html
Reich: The Truth About the Economy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTzMqm2TwgE
“Perfect Storm” Mega-Worry
Black Swan
Events
Fall 2008
Occupy Protests
King / Kennedy Assassinations
Race Riots
Watts
Detroit
Newark
Chicago Democratic Convention 1968
Kent State
US-based Terrorism
Oklahoma City
Home Grown Terrorism
Terrorism & Hopelesness
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/opinion/terrorisms-fertile-ground.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0
The Multifaceted Inequality Problem
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/opinion/brooks-the-inequalityproblem.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
The Undeserving Rich
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/20/opinion/krugman-the-undeserving-rich.html
Brooks Response
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/279-82/21578-david-brooks-utter-ignorance-aboutinequality
Addressing the Inequality Problem
• Problems at the Top
– Assortative Mating
– The Super Star Effect
– Money
Addiction/Boundless Greed
– Others?
• Problems the Bottom
–
–
–
–
Single Parenting
Criminal Behavior
Unemployment History
Low Educational
Expectations
– Scarcity-Afflicted Thinking
– Others?
• Systemic Problems
– Automation
– Kludgeocracy
– Reserve Army of the
Unemployed
– Zero-Some Mentality
– Matthew’s Law
– Stress Limits on
Compassion
– Under-Performing Schools
– Lance Armstrong Effect
– Prison Industrial Complex
– Others
Problems at the Top
Assortative Mating
The many
reinforcing
advantages of the
elites and semielites
Super Star Effect
Money Addiction
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/sunday/for-the-love-ofmoney.html?from=opinion
Problems at the Bottom
Single Parenting
http://www.thenation.com/blog/171886/week-poverty-us-single-mothers-worst#
Marriage and Poverty
http://www.heritage.org/childpoverty/united-statesthe through our site and I will
Long Term Employment Trends
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_16/b4224007222337.htm
Low Educational Expectations
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/01/14/arne-duncan-schoolexpectations-are-too-low-in-the-united-states
Scarcity and Thinking
http://www.amazon.com/Scar
city-Having-Little-MeansMuch/dp/0805092641
Criminal Behavior
Systemic Problems
The Lance Armstrong Effect
In a highly competitive environment, cheating (exploitation of customers,
employees, and the environment) is the tie-breaker.
The “win” goes to the best cheater.
For capitalism to work, government must “level the playing field” by
preventing cheating.
Robots
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/12/ff-robots-will-take-our-jobs/all/
Technology Advance
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/12/opinion/sunday/fri
edman-if-i-had-a-hammer.html
Kludgeocracy
http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/kludgeocracy-in-america
The Economy: Employers Market
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/12/27/opinion/krugman-the-fear-economy.html
Joblessness Index
http://www.tradersnarrative.com/unemployment-throws-cold-water-on-rate-hike-talk-3446.html
Zero-Sum Society
Mathew’s Law
“To whomsoever hath, to him shall be given”
Inequality & Compassion
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/opinion/does-rising-inequality-make-ushardhearted.html?ref=thomasbedsall
Under Performing Schools
Tax / Subsidy Structure
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/279-82/21352-the-year-of-the-great-redistribution
So, You Want to Fly
Deal with All Aspects of the Problem
Airplanes
won’t fly
without ALL of
the parts
The Inequality Problem
Post-It Notes / Arrows
X leads to an
increase in Y
X leads to a
decrease in Y
Addressing the Inequality Problem
• Problems at the Top
– Assortative Mating
– The Super Star Effect
– Money
Addiction/Boundless Greed
– Others?
• Problems the Bottom
–
–
–
–
Single Parenting
Criminal Behavior
Unemployment History
Low Educational
Expectations
– Scarcity-Afflicted Thinking
– Others?
• Systemic Problems
– Automation
– Kludgeocracy
– Reserve Army of the
Unemployed
– Zero-Some Mentality
– Matthew’s Law
– Stress Limits on
Compassion
– Under-Performing Schools
– Lance Armstrong Effect
– Prison Industrial Complex
– Others
Complexity
Addressing the Inequality Problem
• Problems at the Top
– Assortative Mating
– The Super Star Effect
– Money
Addiction/Boundless Greed
– Others?
• Problems the Bottom
–
–
–
–
Single Parenting
Criminal Behavior
Unemployment History
Low Educational
Expectations
– Scarcity-Afflicted Thinking
– Others?
• Systemic Problems
– Automation
– Kludgeocracy
– Reserve Army of the
Unemployed
– Zero-Some Mentality
– Matthew’s Law
– Stress Limits on
Compassion
– Under-Performing Schools
– Lance Armstrong Effect
– Prison Industrial Complex
– Others