South Africans need new thinking to address gap between rich and the rest
We cannot address inequality unless we take notice of new thinking around the world and try to produce some of our own, writes Steven Friedman IF MANY of our commentators and people who speak for business were in Davos last week, they may have imagined that they had strayed into a Congress of South African Trade Unions meeting, which shows how cut off we are from thinking about inequality elsewhere in the world.At the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos last week, inequality was reportedly the "hot topic" — those who worried about it were not left-wing academics but leaders in the equity markets. This reflects a much wider trend — a growing realisation in the mainstream that the growing gap between the rich and the rest is a threat that needs new thinking and strong action.Thomas Piketty’s celebrated book on inequality is the best-known example. But equally important is growing support among US and UK politicians for "inclusive capitalism", a plan to strengthen the market economy ...
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