Wesley Smith writes for National Review Online about a disturbing proposal in Nature magazine.
The science journal just published a piece urging the U.N. to establish a panel of scientists — the International Panel on Inequality (IPI) — to determine policies involving income and wealth inequality. From “Why We Need an International Panel on Inequality”:
“The consequences [of wealth disparities] are well established. A growing body of research links higher income inequality to lower social mobility, poorer health outcomes and slower economic growth. Unequal access to education, health care, housing and finance shapes the opportunities that direct people’s lives.
“Yet, all this knowledge has not produced a policy response. One reason is political: inequalities create powerful beneficiaries.”
Perhaps. But how is this a science issue?
It isn’t:
“Evidence on inequality is dispersed across disciplines and institutions. Research on policy effectiveness — showing what has worked, in which contexts and through which mechanisms — is insufficiently synthesized and often inaccessible.”
This calls for a U.N. panel of scientific experts!
“What’s needed is an independent scientific body mirroring the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This would periodically and systematically assess evidence on the scale, nature, drivers and consequences of inequality. It would also evaluate evidence on policies and synthesize the conclusions from the successes and failures of different countries.”
Again, how is any of this about science? I looked for answers and found many assertions but little of scientific relevance. …
… Then, the authors reveal the true purpose: punishing wealth:
“Wealth inequality deserves special attention. Wealth is linked to power and influence, and inherited wealth perpetuates inequality across generations. Wealth inequality is generally more pronounced than income inequality, yet wealth data are weaker. Globally, income from wealth remains highly concentrated, with a Gini of 0.94, and 80% of the world’s population receives zero or near-zero income from wealth. Assets are often hidden, under-reported or difficult to value, and comparable administrative and tax data are unavailable in many countries.”
