Poverty and the US Economy Essay Example for Free

Poverty and the US Economy Essay Today, there are developed, emerging and developing countries in the world. A larger percentage of people live under extreme poverty in most developing countries. In most developed countries poverty exist, but a lower proportion. Most developing countries formulate policies either monetary or fiscal to reduce the prevalence of poverty. However, there is no country without a policy options for elimination poverty. In a broader sense, poverty cannot be eradicated, but can be reduced to a certain level. This is why countries are pursuing various polices that could help reduce poverty in their region. Fiscal and monetary policies are the main tools used in formulating various strategies, actions that aim to reduce poverty. This issue leads us to poverty issue in the United States of America. Then, what are the various policies that can be used to eliminate poverty in the country. Should the policy makers make use of fiscal or monetary policy? Subsequently, what policy tools will be used, fiscal or monetary? In this write up there will be a comprehensive analysis on what policy option that should enacted to eliminate poverty in the USA. To begin with, understanding what fiscal and monetary policy entails is necessary. Then, what is fiscal policy? In a simple term, fiscal policy refers to an effort by the government to manage, influence and guide the tempo or direction of the economy by using its major tools taxation and its total spending. There are two major tools of fiscal policy, which are taxation and government spending. In addition, there could be contractionary or expansionary fiscal policy. Expansionary fiscal policy here means when there is increase in government spending or reduction in taxation. This normally leads to budget deficit and vice versa. While, monetary policy refers to an effort by the government to change the pace of the economy by influencing or controlling the money supply and interest rates. These various policies are pursued by government in other to achieve the basic economic objectives of full employment, stability in price level and growth of the economy. However, in the US the fiscal or monetary policies have to be enacted in other to reduce or eliminate poverty. In performing this task, different things have to be put in their rightful place. Even though, poverty cannot be eliminated from the country yet with a very good fiscal and monetary policies it proportion could be reduce. The reason why I believe poverty cannot be completely eliminated is because of the way economy and nation evolves. From time immemorial, there have been some certain classes of people in the economy. They range from upper, middle and lower classes. In any economy, there will always be the lower class and this comprises of the people living below the poverty line. In addition, there will always be those at the receiving end. Africa can be a very good example of this issue. Therefore, there is way how we would not have poverty in any nation. What can only be done is to reduce drastically the number. In country like the US, the poverty rate can be reduced to a small level if government pursues good monetary and fiscal policies. The government could enact fiscal, monetary policies and both together in the economy to reduce the poverty rate. These would be explained as follows: Firstly, we are going to consider the fiscal policy. Since, our main aim is to reduce the level of poverty. The government could pursue both the contractionary or expansionary fiscal policy. However, global financial crises have an overall effect on the nation’s economy. Moreover, the US government could enact contractionary policy to reduce the level of inflation. Since, the tools of fiscal policy are taxation and government spending. The government should reduce its spending and increase the tax of the elite and the upper class in the nation only. When this is done, the government will have more funds, which could be spent on increasing the aggregate demand of the lower class or people living below the poverty line. In a way the real income of the lower class will be increased through this policy, since the funds will be redistribute from the rich to the poor. In a way, there is the effect that fiscal policy has on the nation at large and on the individual as a whole. In as much as our focus relates to individual then, we pursue those action that will be beneficial to the individual rather than the whole nation. In addition, when government pursue budget deficit the economy is receiving less than what its expend. In this case, the government will have to finance this deficit using different approaches. They could borrow the populace or sell assets. Sale of asset may include the sale of bonds and treasury bills in other to offset the deficit. Treasury bills and bond are example of government tools use to reduce the money in circulation. Government sells these to the public in other to remove money in circulation. This money needed will be gotten from the upper class or the rich by increasing their tax. On the other hand, an expansionary fiscal policy could also be enacted. Here, the government should reduce the tax of the lower class and government should increase their spending on economic activities that could increase aggregate demand of this lower class and result in increased productivity. When government takes this action, the real income or the disposable income of this class of people would increase and thereby increasing their purchasing power. Given that, disposable income is the income that is left for spending when tax has been removed from income. In addition, when government increases their spending they pursue budget deficit. Here, they should incur these funds on economic activities that could increase the productivity and aggregate demand of the lower class. When there is increase in government spending, it means that the government is redistributing its asset to its populace. Thereby increasing total productivity in the economy and leading to increase in total income. This increase in total income will trickle down to the lower class and increase their disposable income. In essence, when government pursues the basic economic objective, they will be solving the issue of eliminating poverty indirectly. Therefore, the government could use fiscal policy in reducing the level of poverty in the nation However, the government in pursuing this objective of eliminating poverty can also use monetary policy. They could also use expansionary monetary policy. In a way, contractionary monetary policy will not be effective in achieving this objective. When they wish to use expansionary policy, the government should influence the interest rate by reducing it using its various tools. When this happens, investment will increase leading to increase in productivity that will trickle down to the lower class. Since, increasing productivity more labor effort would be require in achieving this. Then, there will be increase in employment that will trickle down to the lower class. In a way, more people will be employed and this will include the lower class. This situation will increase the real income of the lower class and will enable them live above the poverty line. However, the contractionary monetary policy will not be effective in this case. Since, under this policy there will be reduction in the rate of interest and consequently leading to decrease in productivity. When productivity is reduced, it means inventory is reducing and companies are sacking workers and this most times affects the lower class. Therefore, this will further worsen poverty situation in the country and contributing to increase in the level of unemployment. In another way, the government could combine both fiscal and monetary policies in other to achieve their objective of eliminating poverty in the country. What is needed is the right combination in other to guide against inflation. The government could influence the interest rate and at the same time enact policy that would make lower income earners pay reduce tax or used to offset the feedback from these policy option. The government could also combine expansionary monetary and fiscal contractionary policies in a way to offset any feedback from this policy options. In conclusion, there are ways the government of the United States of America could use to eliminate poverty. However, we should have it in mind that poverty cannot be eliminated permanently in the country. It could only be reduce to its barest minimum. In a way, the government actions are very vital. The two main policies to be enacted are the monetary and the fiscal policy. Finally, I think the global financial crises have a way of influencing the way these policies will work.

Systemic Change :: Systematic Systemic Essays

Systemic Change What Is It To fully understand Systemic Change, one must first be able to distinguish systemic from systematic. The term systematic often is associated with images of a linear, generalizable model of how to do something. Systemic on the other hand implies a global conception of the problem and an understanding of the interrelationships and interconnections. (Carr 1996). The systemic perspective in instructional design is traditionally limited to feedback via needs assessment or evaluation. The systematic perspective in instructional design, however, is strongly represented in a variety of step-by-step models. (Carr 1996) Systemic thinking "requires keeping many aspects of the problem set in your head at one time. It is a community activity, not an individual one, with all the requisite challenges of any group task. Systemic thinking demands persistence, because to think systemically means to constantly reflect back to previous assumptions, and to be flexible enough to change thinking that has been agreed upon previously. (Reigeluth, Garfinkle 1994). Using a systemic view, we develop ways of finding out about the mass of inter-relationships which exist between the different components of systems as well as finding out about the components themselves and we have to find out about the relationships which exist between the whole system and the environment in which it exists. (Bateson, 1979; Bawden 1991, Carr 1996) There are two types of change. There is piecemeal change, often called tinkering, which entails modifying something (fixing a part of it) and there is systemic change, often called paradigm shift, which entails replacing the whole thing. Reigeluth, Garfinkle 1994). Systemic change is comprehensive. It recognizes that a fundamental change in one aspect of a system requires fundamental changes in other aspects in order for it to be successful. In education, it must pervade all levels of the system: classroom, building, district, community, state government and federal government. And it must include the nature of the learning experiences, the administrative system that supports the instructional system, and the governance system that governs the whole educational system (Banathy, 1991, Reigeluth, Garfinkle 1994). Systemic change is needed because of the paradigm shift that is occurring in education due to the information age. Although this paradigm shift in education is only a microcosm of the changes in society as a whole, these changes in society is making "the current educational system obsolete.

Cinderella Man Film Essay

Cinderella Man is a film about The Great Depression. How is this period in history depicted in the film? The film Cinderella Man is based on a true story about a boxer James J Braddock, during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. Braddock, his wife Mae and his three kids were very well off, due to the fact that Braddock was doing very well with his boxing and winning lots of fights, which resulted in lots of money. This all changed very suddenly when Braddock’s career was turned upside down when the Great Depression hit. The first scene in the film which shows that times were starting to get tough is when there is a transition scene from 1928-1932, where there is a slow left pan fade starting from their dresser with lots of accessories such as jewellery, a photo in a nice frame, a watch and a stack of money which Braddock earned from winning a fight that night, and the pan ends with a shot of their dresser during the great depression which is clearly much less accessorised with very little jewellery, a razor, a false tooth and the same photo but without the frame. As Braddock and his family were very well off before the great depression this scene really illustrated how tough the times were and there were many people much worse off than Braddock’s family. Another scene in the film that portrayed the period of the Great Depression was the scene when Braddock went to the Docks to work. Each day unemployed men would wait at the gate and hope to get picked to work on the docks that day. This scene gives you as a viewer a sense of truth about the movie and when the men are stretching out their arms through the bars it demonstrates how desperate people are getting. After it shows the men begging to get picked to work it switches to a close up shot of a newspaper getting dropped on the ground with the title â€Å"unemployed hits record 15 million†. The close up shot of the newspaper really emphasises that the film is during the great depression, and nearly everyone is unemployed; and this shot works perfectly in depicting this point in time. The next scene which indicates the film is during the great depression I personally think is the most effective. Jim and Mae are so low on money that they can’t afford to keep their three c hildren, one who is sick at home and Mae sends them off without telling Jim and this leads to them fighting. After this is changes to a high angle close up on the EMERGENCY RELIEF ADMINISTRATION OF NEW JERSEY and hundreds of people filling out welfare application forms. The camera then pans to Braddock when it is his turn and the woman at the counter says to Braddock- â€Å"I never thought I’d see you here Jim†. When the woman at the counter says this to Braddock it makes me as a viewer think that if Braddock is associated with wealth and he has lost everything, then what does the average person have left? As many other scenes in the film, this one really proves that the film is during the great depression and thousands and thousands of people are hardly surviving. The last scene I am going to talk about which represents the time of the great depression is probably the most effective in getting the message across that the film is during the great depression, and this scene is in Hooverville which is a place where lots of little shanty’s were built by homeless people dur ing the great depression. This scene in the film is very loud and gruesome, with sounds such as police sirens, breaking glass, people yelling and people vomiting. The camera shows lots of people running around, bodies on the ground and small fires everywhere. This scene uses a hand held camera to emphasise the franticness of the people, and shows the occasional close up of individual’s faces to show that they are scared. Immediately after it shows a close up of Mike’s face when he says ‘tell Sarah I’ll be late.’ it flashes straight to a close up of a coffin with a number on it and then another close up on Mae’s grief stricken face. Because mikes coffin only has a number on it, it shows that NO one could afford a personalised coffin and all these people to the government were simply just numbers. At a glance this film is just about boxing, but as you watch it you learn that there is a deeper meaning to the film, and shows the story of one man, who went from having everything to nothing, and then struggled his way through the great depression, and in Braddock’s words he ‘was fighting for milk.’

Ethical Issues Of Business Ethics - 1369 Words

The word ‘Ethics’ is derived from the Greek word ‘ethos’ (character) and Latin word ‘moras’ (customs) (Senaratne, 2011). Ethics is usually based around a decision one makes to help us identify what is good and what is bad as well as guiding us on doing well and avoiding the bad. What’s more, ethics are like a code of conduct asserting moral guidelines, prevailing good behaviour. It’s also about relationships and how we treat others. There are many underlying ethical issues arising for instance, in the work place, health care, in schools and many more. Furthermore, Business ethics is the application of ethical values to a business’ behaviour (IBE - Institute of Business Ethics, 2016). They are related to the issue of what is right and what is wrong in a business. The definition of business ethics may vary from business to business. The ethical standards of a business are a key factor in how the business is defined and is relevant both to the conduct of individuals and to the conduct of the organisations as a whole. Ethics can be thought of as how people act as an individual in a business, how they structure their organisation, the way they work and laws affecting business. Every company wants to be trusted and to have a good reputation, so companies set out a list of their own ethical codes (ACCA Blogs, 2014). Stakeholders want to be associated with responsible organisations and knowing a firm with a bad reputation may make it less appealing to them, resulting in profitsShow MoreRelatedBusiness Ethics : Ethical And Ethical I ssues843 Words   |  4 Pages Business ethics is very important. Business ethics examines the moral and ethical issues that arise in a business enviroment. Ethical communication on the other hand allows the business to be honest with the customer. 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