Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE ECONOMICS
Are the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer?
Institution Affiliation
Date
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HUMAN RESOURCE ECONOMICS
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Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Purpose of this Research ................................................................................................................. 4
The Poor and the Rich in South Africa ........................................................................................... 5
Analysis of the Poor and the Rich and Their Economic Trends ..................................................... 7
The Poor and the Rich in the Economy .......................................................................................... 9
Methods Used In Doing Research and At Arriving At the Conclusion .......................................... 9
Recommendations on How to Carry Out the Study...................................................................... 11
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 12
References ..................................................................................................................................... 13
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Abstract
As we talk economic development and economic stagnation, it is important to understand
that there are a number of social, political and economic factors that contribute towards
economic development. People’s living conditions, their means of livelihood as well as their
economic classes in society is also a factor to take into consideration when understanding the
economic trends. It is obvious that there are social classes in every society. There are the very
rich in the society who control the means of production, the middle class, who work in the
corporate and to not control the means of production (Wise, 2015). There are also the poor, who
live from hand to mouth and who economists say that they leave on less than 2$ every day.
Surprisingly, this is the largest group in many societies even as economies strive to achieve
sustainable economic development.
This, therefore, brings about a crucial question on whether the rich continue to get richer
while the poor continue to lavish in poverty. Answering this question is quite difficult given that
it is not easy to tell whether the poor continue to get poorer and the rich continue to immerse
more wealth. It is therefore important to take part in a research that will help in answering this
question. This research will involve comparing the standards of living in the last five years.
Whether they have deteriorated or whether they have improved. Five years is a long time and is
actually a good period of time to be able to understand how the means of livelihood have
changed (Formisano, 2015). Using this research, we will be able to come up with conclusive
results on whether the poor have become richer or otherwise and whether the rich continue to get
richer. This research paper is very procedural as it goes from selecting a country where the
research is to be carried out, the actual process of the research and the reason why the results of
this research are a representation of very many people in the society.
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Introduction
Speculative statements and statistics may not be in a position to give conclusive
information about the condition of the rich and the poor and the disparities that there are between
these two groups of people (Morris et al., 2015). This is why this research paper is committed to
showing the process as well as the justification for specific results. The question of the poor and
the rich in the society has been of great concern especially in forums where this disparity is an
enemy of progressive economic development. This topic is very important since it helps the
members of the society to understand where they fall on the economic circle and what needs to
be done to shift the paradigm. At the same time, this study is important in ensuring that the
relevant people are committed to minimizing the existing economic disparities. The main ideas
in this paper include breaking down the question of the rich and the poor and the reasons behind
the existing economic and social conditions. In most cases, human resource includes the
employees in various organizations. The Human resource is the middle class in South Africa and
they make up the majority of the population. This is why understanding the living conditions of
the human resource gives a clear indication of the rich and the poor and why the poor get poorer
and the rich get richer. It is important that very many people read this paper. This is because it
provides the details of the economy and tells what has remained untold about economic spaces
all over the world.
Purpose of this Research
This research paper is very important, especially in today’s economy. This research will
help in answering the questions why the standards of living in many economies remain
unaffordable and continue to rise while the rich remain silent about it. This paper also helps in
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solving the economic disparities by pointing out some of the reasons why the rich remain rich
and even get richer while the poor remain in poverty. This paper is very insightful on matters of
the economy and economic development and it can be used as a framework by developers and
political leaders who aim at improving people’s living standards and ensuring that poor who
have been constantly neglected find their space in the society.
The other important purpose of this research is to ensure that the gaps between the rich
and the poor are addressed. This will be done by understanding the possible reasons why the rich
continue to get richer while the poor continue to get poorer. The reasons for this inequality have
also been addressed to ensure that the root of this issue is arrived at. This research paper not only
scratches the surface on the issue of living standards but goes ahead to explain the reasons for
these living standards and economic disparities. This is why this paper can be trusted. The fact
that it uses first-hand information from the people who are most affected is also credit for the
credibility of this paper.
The Poor and the Rich in South Africa
South Africa is one of the largest and the fastest growing economies in the world.
Sometimes economists have classified South Africa as a developed country. In essence,
however, all African countries are developing countries and this includes South Africa. South
Africa has however beaten all odds to ensure that it is an epitome for all the African Economies
(Wise, 2015). The fact that South Africa's economy is growing up fast mean that, it can be used
as a perfect specimen for the research. This also means that it can give a clear picture on the poor
and the rich in developing countries as well as in the developed countries.
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The latest statistics in South Africa indicate that over 60% of the people in South Africa
live below the poverty line. Further statistics also indicate that the people living below the line of
poverty are employees from various organizations. Teachers, doctors and nurses who are public
servants live from hand to mouth. IT experts working in various organizations also continue
getting poorer while they make billions for their employees (Morris et al., 2015).
With the apartheid regime in South Africa and its independence in 1994, it may be
difficult to believe that South Africa is actually Africa's most developed country. This can,
however, be explained in a number of ways including the enterprising nature of the governments
that took power after independence, the economic and the human resources that there are in
South Africa as well as the ways in which the government strives to deal with the economic
disparities. The apartheid regime was characterized by racial segregation in South Africa. The
whites were considered more superior as opposed to the black on the basis of the color of their
skin (Morris et al., 2015). There is no doubt that this contributed to the economic disparities and
brought about the rich and the poor in the society. The blacks were led to the most unproductive
pieces of land in South Africa while the whites we gave the most productive spaces to occupy
(Wise, 2015). While this may only be a matter of land, there is no doubt that the productivity of
the land would eventually determine who became rich and who become poor.
The productivity of the land that belonged to the whites ensured that they received labor
from the blacks. This is because the parcels of land occupied by the blacks in the crowded
reserves soon became unproductive. This also meant that the whites are the only people who
could engage in trading activities with other neighboring countries as well as with international
bodies. This marked the beginning of line between the rich and the poor in the society. Even
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after native leaders took over the government and the economy, the grounds have been set and it
was difficult to change the economic trends.
Analysis of the Poor and the Rich and Their Economic Trends
As stated earlier, the economic disparities in South Africa can be traced back to the
apartheid regime. Even after black leaders took over South Africa's leadership, the regime was a
continuous regime that did not bring the oppressive regime to an end. The leadership regime
opted for a liberal as opposed to a radical way of dealing with the political and the social
problems. The liberal approach meant that there was no intention whatsoever to deal with the
economic and social disparities that existed. There was, however, the enactment of legislation
that would ensure that these disparities are reduced. These legislations did not, however, see the
light of day as the legislations were not implemented.
This has been the case since then. There are a number of reasons that can be credited to
the fact that the rich continue to get richer and the poor only get worse. A good illustration of
why the poor continue to get poor and he rich continue to get poor would be a scenario of
employees working in a computer systems company that is involved with manufacturing
computer systems and making websites. This company has approximately 40 employees with 20
branches all over the world. Being a private entity, the organization believes in working around
the clock to ensure that it keeps up with the competition from competing public entities. This has
resulted to a change of policy where the employees have to work from 6am to 6pm as opposed to
the 8am to 5pm rule. As if this is not enough, the salaries and remunerations remain the same.
This basically means that the employees are constantly tired even at their workplace. The long
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working hours and the poor remuneration are a justification for their poverty. The employers
continue to go to the bank making millions while the poor languish in poverty.
The inefficient tax system in South Africa is one of the reasons that this can continue to
be the case. The rich have the ability to evade taxes. This leaves the poor with the burden of
paying taxes. This is quite unfortunate since the taxes that are paid by the poor are directed
towards paying the salaries and remuneration of the rich class in the society. To add to that, the
taxes are paid from basic commodities used by the poor like milk and flour (Wise, 2015). This,
therefore, explains why the rich continue to get rich and the poor continue to be poor. The
evasion of taxes is an unscrupulous means that the rich use to achieve their parochial ends. The
main problem with this is that the relevant authorities have turned a blind eye towards these
trends
The rich who are the employers have controlled the means of production for a very long
time. Controlling the means of production has a lot of implications including the fact that the
poor remain at the mercies of the rich. One of the ways in which this happens is by ensuring that
the rich set the prices for the products. This ensures that the rich continue to get rich. On the
other hand, the poor continue to languish in poverty at the mercies of the rich.
Given all the experiences in the economy, there is no doubt that the rich in South Africa
continue to get rich and the poor continue to get poor. As stated earlier, South Africa is a
representation of the developing countries as well as the developed countries in the world.
Looking at it critically, one will notice that a good number of the developing countries in Africa
share a similar history with South Africa. The approaches that have been taken to deal with
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poverty and economic disparities are the same. We can therefore confidently conclude that the
rich continue to become richer while the poor become poorer in many countries in Africa.
The Poor and the Rich in the Economy
One may not really have the ability to tell who is rich or who is poor by looking at them.
This is why carrying out a research is very important. A research will ensure that actual details
are arrived at. It is also very important to identify the factors that have been attributed to
particular living standards. This research paper is not only informative but is also a tool that
could be used to improve people’s living conditions and to ensure that the disparities in the living
conditions are reduced. To crown it all, understanding the reasons why the rich continue to get
richer and the poor become poorer is very important. The most important thing to understand
while carrying out this research is that human dignity is a very important aspect of living. This is
why it is important to ensure that a respectful relationship is created between the respondents and
the researchers.
Methods Used In Doing Research and At Arriving At the Conclusion
Carrying out a research means conducting a kind of investigation that helps individuals to
conclude a certain topic. Choosing a good means of carrying out research is very important since
it ensures that the results of the research can be trusted. Choosing an effective, less expensive
and a method of research that is easy to comprehend is very vital for the research. Questionnaires
are a trusted means of carrying out research. This is because they ensure that first-hand
information is acquired. Questionnaires also ensure that information is collected from the actual
sources. It is therefore easy to detect that information is accurate or not. In carrying out this
research, it will be important to incorporate the use of questionnaires.
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These questionnaires should be very specific and they should ask questions that will help
in answering the research question. Questions like the standard of living of a particular person as
at now as well as their standards of living five years ago would be very helpful in completing this
research. The questionnaires should also be made available to the rich as well as the middles
class in the society. Ensuring that the answers are from all classes in the economy ensures that
there is no bias in the research and that conclusive results are achieved (Pizzigati, 2012).
Looking at archives on the standards of living Statistics of the last 5 years is a very
important way of answering this question. Statistical Archives on economics and the standards of
living tend to provide accurate information on the standards of living, the disparities between the
rich and the poor as well as the factors that influence the various standards of living. An
improvement in the standards of living among the poor within a period of five years would be an
indication that the poor are getting richer and thus they no longer continue to languish in poverty
(Wise, 2015). An improvement in the distribution of economic resources and the factors of
production among the rich is also an indication that a good number of the member of the society
also have access to economic resources and thus continue to get richer.
Having candid conversations with the rich and the poor is also important in ensuring that
the research is shrouded in truth. Candid economic conversations mean seeking to understand
exactly what the rich and the poor go through in a bid to meet their economic needs. This may
also involve ensuring that they are open about how far and how much their living conditions
have improved in the last five years and what factors may have led to the same. This way,
researchers will be able to understand whether the rich continue to get richer or whether the poor
continue to get poorer.
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Recommendations on How to Carry Out the Study
In carrying out the research study, there are a number of things that need to be taken into
consideration. The success of any research or study is dependent on how the researchers treat
their audience. The reception from a particular audience may be different. While there could be a
respectful audience and that that is ready to help, there could be a hostile audience whose attitude
towards the researchers may be negative. It is therefore important to understand this. I would
recommend that the researchers choose their audience wisely. This will ensure that there is
cooperation between the researchers and the audience and this eventually ensures that the
information given is credible and that it is not difficult to acquire (Morris et al., 2015). Being
respectful also means understanding the fact that the audience could be either the poor or the
rich. This, therefore, makes it important to watch one's language in a bid to ensure that either
group is not in sight against the other for whatever reason.
I also recommend that the use of inflammatory language is avoided. In most cases,
members of the society feel that governments and other administrative bodies are responsible for
their economic conditions. This, therefore, means that they may be tempted to use inflammatory
language against these administrative bodies. Helping the respondents understand that this
research is only for research purposes is very important. Ensuring that they keep their calm even
as they express their opinions of disappointment in these bodies is very important (Reiman &
Leighton, 2016). This will ensure that clashes are avoided in the course of the research. This will
also guarantee the success of the research and ensure that the question of whether the rich
continue to get rich while the poor become poorer. The use of inflammatory messages against
administrative bodies could jeopardize the success of this research.
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While carrying out this research, there are statistics and other documents that may be
referred to. These statistics will help in answering the question by ensuring that we understand
the disparities that there were between the rich and the poor five years ago, the disparities that
exist now and the extent which these disparities have been reduced. This way, the research
results will be accurate and the question will be answered conclusively. In my honest opinion,
the disparities that existed between the rich and the poor have not changed much. In the last five
years, the rich controlled the means of production while the poor worked as laborers in their
firms. This has not changed much as the rich still control the means of production and the poor
work for them (Smith, 2012). These statistics could, however, be manipulated for the sake of the
public and to show that there are actual improvements in the economy. This is why I recommend
that trustworthy statistics be used in carrying out the study.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the standards of living have changed. This change can however
only be characterized by the fact that the poor have remained poor and the rich have remained
and continue to become rich. This is quite unfortunate given the goal of sustainable development
that aims at ensuring that economic resources are distributed equally for the good of all members
of the society. It is explicit that this will continue to be the case even with globalization.
Eventually, the goals of sustainable economic development will remain goals and dreams.
Processes that will help to reduce these disparities and to ensure that the poor also have a
considerable amount of the national cake are underway. These processes will work to ensure that
economic and human resources are equally distributed. This will also ensure that the poor get
richer.
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References
Wise, T. J. (2015). Under the affluence: Shaming the poor, praising the rich and sacrificing the
future of America. San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books.
Morris, P. A., Hill, H. D., Gennetian, L. A., Rodrigues, C., Wolf, S., & University of Wisconsin-Madison. (2015). Income volatility in U.S. households with children: Another growing
disparity between the rich and the poor?.
Formisano, R. P. (2015). Plutocracy in America: How increasing inequality destroys the middle
class and exploits the poor.
Reiman, J. H., & Leighton, P. (2016). The rich get richer and the poor get prison: A reader.
Kiyosaki, R. T., & Wheelwright, T. (2017). Why the rich are getting richer: What is financial
education...really?.
Pizzigati, S. (2012). The rich don't always win The forgotten triumph over plutocracy that
created the American middle class, 1900-1970. New York: Seven Stories Press.
Smith, S. (2012). One hour to -- understanding money: Why the rich get richer, and the poor get
poorer.
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