Since the middle of the 19th century, when the industrial revolution first made significant impacts on social and economic life in the United States, labor unions have been respected and efficacious models of worker unification. That being said, the industrial revolution is old news. The digital revolution, also known as the third industrial revolution, has taken hold of modern lives. Jobs have become more specific and machines have replaced human workers in certain unskilled positions.
So what role does the union play in today’s economy? To understand, it is necessary to know how unions have always worked.
Unions have, since their inception, been organizations of workers dedicated to maintaining and, if need be, improving working conditions. They run a bit like mini-democracies: elected officials make decisions on behalf of the workers who elect them. Also like most democracies, workers pay for membership. They do this with tax-esque, regular payments, much of which go to those of the union’s staff members who aren’t volunteers.
The goals of unions are simple: to better working conditions. This mission can take many shapes, including pushing for increases in minimum wage and in worker productivity (often done by administering training programs), as well as trade restrictions, such as government-imposed tariffs and quotas. Tariffs are special taxes on imported or exported goods. Quotas are limits on the amount of a certain good that can be imported or exported.
Although there are basic goals common amongst most, if not all, unions, there are several varieties. These organizations represent, after all, different quantities and qualities of professional workers. As a small sampling, unions represent mechanics, teachers, factory workers, office workers, actors, musicians, police officers, construction workers, janitors, writers, doctors, engineers, plumbers and pharmacists, as well as countless others.
Local unions are comprised of local workers, usually bound by sector and region, not employer. They typically receive a charter from a national or international union before forming. There are over 60 national and international unions across the United States and Canada, representing millions of professionals.
Of these local and broad coalitions, there are slightly more specific trade and industrial unions. Trade unions represent workers who work a specific trade, such as those represented by The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. Industrial unions, alternatively, represent workers who work a specific industry, including those represented by The United Auto Workers.
During the first industrial revolution, unions began to form alongside companies operating within steel mills, textile factories, mines and other heavily regulated environments. Because of this, unions are often associated with the “old economy,” but the new economy is, of course, where unions must work today.
As small and medium sized businesses outside of manufacturing become more prevalent, unions become increasingly general and must represent a much wider range of employees. This makes collective bargaining, a technique unions employ to facilitate negotiations between employers and employees, a more difficult task than it used to be. Naturally, since there are more managers with whom to negotiate and more potential hangups to avoid, the process may be elongated. Settlements may become compromised as unions juggle an array of workers.
These effects, however, are mostly speculative. In general, the union has been and continues to be, at least for today, an effective and empowering tool workers use and need.
– Adam Kaminski
Sources: Investopedia, Union Plus
Photo: The Century Foundation
Poverty and Crime Linked
“Poverty is the parent of crime,” wrote Aristotle. The philosopher’s words have echoed for thousands of years and it is hard to deny that the two are not intrinsically linked. But recent studies have ripped the statement into an open debate and the genealogy has been brought into question.
The most pertinent study was conducted in 2011, after the height of conflicts in Afghanistan and Congo, while violence was on the rise in countries like Côte D’Ivoire and Libya. But the World Bank’s flagship publication, World Development Report, argued that violence is in fact the primary cause of poverty.
The two African nations Burundi and Burkino Faso are used as anecdotal reference that supports the raw data. The two had similar growth rates prior to 1990, when Burundi erupted into civil war. Now, Burkino Faso is 250 percent wealthier.
The research indicates that poor African countries are not in a “poverty trap” so much as they are in a violence trap. A poverty trap suggests that workmen, like farmers, are hesitant to take care of their crops because the insufficient infrastructure means the roads are unable to support large cargo. In theory, wealthier countries can help by pumping aid to build such a road.
While such construction is noble and beneficial to all involved parties, it is only the first step in creating orderly society. Even with roads and a lack of faith in the government, rebel stop and seizures and organized crime will make the farmer all the more hesitant to take the road even when it is there.
Still, data also backs the notion that these countries are violent because they are poor, as well. The World Bank report asked why young people joined gangs and rebel movements. Around 40 percent said unemployment was the primary factor.
What this means, generally, is that in addition to aid that prevents the poverty trap, violence is an issue that needs to be addressed. The Millennium Development Goals, for example, have not been reached by any violent country. And the fact that the MDGs do not address justice and security demonstrates that further steps that are necessary.
One tested manner of reducing violence is restoring faith in government. Ghana’s peace deal in 2003 and Nigeria’s credible cabinet appointments of recent years launched periods of relative peace. It is not enough that the people believe elected officials are not corrupt: the officials must also deliver results. New jobs must be created quickly.
Reports such as these show that while reaching MDGs is important, aid must be refocused and have a human aspect if they want to be more successful.
– Andrew Rywak
Sources: The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Fundamental Finance
Photo: Ace Showbiz
Gender-Based Violence: A Global Issue
In the wake of the release of Ray Rice’s assault on Janay Palmer, reports of the NFL’s lack of punishment for other domestic violence and sexual assault cases have flooded the media. Many are calling for a boycott of the industry; others demand the resignation of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
This has not been the only news in gender-based violence within the United States. Men and women on college campuses have called attention to the high rates of sexual assault at colleges and universities across the country. Increased exposure also revealed the lack of effective investigation or punishment for the perpetrator. Even after the federal government became involved, lack of action at colleges and universities continues.
The problem of violence toward women is not limited to the United States. In many cases, incidence of sexual violence is closely related to poverty.
In India, survivors of sexual violence often experience the same lack of investigation and justice that survivors in the United States do. Al Jazeera reports that, in India, many women are offered a bribe in exchange for the perpetrator going free. These bribes do not come free of fear. In some cases, women are intimidated into dropping the charges.
In Fugana, India, this was the case for a 24-year-old woman, who, allegedly, was raped by three men. For other women, religious riots incited gang rapes, but fear of further attack prevents them from reporting the crimes. Even if survivors file reports, the conviction rate is only 25 percent.
According to SN Chaudhary, poverty plays a role in the occurrence of sexual violence in India. Women in lower socioeconomic groups are more often victims of rape. Higher rates of rape victims were illiterate than literate, suggesting a higher level of financial and social vulnerability.
In Uttar Pradesh, high rates of women have been raped while going to their bathroom outside. Over 90 percent of rape victims were Dalits, or members of the lowest caste. Most of these victims were minors.
More than that, high rates of sexual violence are an indicator of a highly patriarchal societal structure, which contributes to high rates of poverty.
How so? Survivors suffer from a high level of shame because they feel that their honor and respect are lost. In some cases, this translates into a loss of respect and honor for the family. This can lead to a lack of economic opportunity and isolation from a community. If women targeted come from poor backgrounds, rape often locks them into poverty.
As of 2013, India ranked 134 of 187 countries on a United Nations measurement of gender disparities in education, employment, health care and political representation. Limiting women’s access to these basic rights reduces the opportunity for nearly half of the population to reach financial security.
Allowing women to escape poverty can contribute to entire families reaching a new socioeconomic level and increasing access to education, healthcare and other key components of poverty reduction.
– Tara Wilson
Sources: Al Jazeera, PolicyMic, Human Rights and Poverty in India
Sources: EEA Grants
Hip-Hop Educators Fight Ebola
Concern regarding Ebola has reached all corners of the globe. This year alone, the epidemic has contributed to the deaths of at least 2,400 people in the West African region. The World Health Organization also estimates around 79 health workers have been killed.
As the death toll escalates, authorities struggle to keep up with the rising number of people needing care. Clinics do not have enough workers—or even enough beds—to successfully treat everyone affected. Patients are being turned away, and as a result are bringing the virus back with them to their communities.
Despite the growing international response, with the U.K. and the U.S. promising to open new treatment centers in the region, there is still a heavy demand for health workers to come to the region. With an inability to keep the situation under control, public education has become a crucial component in addressing the epidemic.
Consider West Point, an impoverished neighborhood in Liberia’s capital Monrovia, where residents stormed an Ebola holding facility as a protest. The government responded with an overnight lock down on August 20. The quarantine ended 10 days later, after a number of additional protests.
The event is an important example of how shifting the community culture is crucial to addressing the disease. Many West Point inhabitants realized after the quarantine the true seriousness of the epidemic. A number of communities were convinced the epidemic was a government hoax, but now acknowledge the reality of the disease and have rallied against it.
Tan Tan B and Quincy B are Liberian hip-hop artists who try to convey the reality of Ebola through meaningful lyrics like “Ring the alarm, turn on the sirens. I see my people dying, but nobody’s firing.” Similarly, another popular song called “Ebola’s In Town” tells people to avoid touching friends to limit spreading of the virus. “Di Ebola Song” is a hit in Sierra Leone that encourages people to seek early medical attention.
Music can’t save a dying person, but community education efforts combat the spread of disease. Dr. Ibrahim Wadembere, a public health consultant in Uganda, explains the importance of community awareness for Ebola outbreaks in the region. He writes that community empowerment spreads awareness of how the disease is caught and spread, but also creates morale and prevents public panic.
As the world faces a clear lack of resources in addressing the epidemic, the importance of public education only grows. We may not be able to immediately create more clinics and find more doctors, but we can educate communities on disease prevention.
The community is the root of the disease’s spread, and prevention, intervention and control measures can only be implemented through the community. Making the ideas accepted and understood by community members will help maintain safety as the world scrambles to find ways to put a stop to this deadly outbreak.
– Fabeeha Ahmed
Sources: NPR 1, NPR 2, Academia, BBC
The Union in a Modern Economy
Since the middle of the 19th century, when the industrial revolution first made significant impacts on social and economic life in the United States, labor unions have been respected and efficacious models of worker unification. That being said, the industrial revolution is old news. The digital revolution, also known as the third industrial revolution, has taken hold of modern lives. Jobs have become more specific and machines have replaced human workers in certain unskilled positions.
So what role does the union play in today’s economy? To understand, it is necessary to know how unions have always worked.
Unions have, since their inception, been organizations of workers dedicated to maintaining and, if need be, improving working conditions. They run a bit like mini-democracies: elected officials make decisions on behalf of the workers who elect them. Also like most democracies, workers pay for membership. They do this with tax-esque, regular payments, much of which go to those of the union’s staff members who aren’t volunteers.
The goals of unions are simple: to better working conditions. This mission can take many shapes, including pushing for increases in minimum wage and in worker productivity (often done by administering training programs), as well as trade restrictions, such as government-imposed tariffs and quotas. Tariffs are special taxes on imported or exported goods. Quotas are limits on the amount of a certain good that can be imported or exported.
Although there are basic goals common amongst most, if not all, unions, there are several varieties. These organizations represent, after all, different quantities and qualities of professional workers. As a small sampling, unions represent mechanics, teachers, factory workers, office workers, actors, musicians, police officers, construction workers, janitors, writers, doctors, engineers, plumbers and pharmacists, as well as countless others.
Local unions are comprised of local workers, usually bound by sector and region, not employer. They typically receive a charter from a national or international union before forming. There are over 60 national and international unions across the United States and Canada, representing millions of professionals.
Of these local and broad coalitions, there are slightly more specific trade and industrial unions. Trade unions represent workers who work a specific trade, such as those represented by The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. Industrial unions, alternatively, represent workers who work a specific industry, including those represented by The United Auto Workers.
During the first industrial revolution, unions began to form alongside companies operating within steel mills, textile factories, mines and other heavily regulated environments. Because of this, unions are often associated with the “old economy,” but the new economy is, of course, where unions must work today.
As small and medium sized businesses outside of manufacturing become more prevalent, unions become increasingly general and must represent a much wider range of employees. This makes collective bargaining, a technique unions employ to facilitate negotiations between employers and employees, a more difficult task than it used to be. Naturally, since there are more managers with whom to negotiate and more potential hangups to avoid, the process may be elongated. Settlements may become compromised as unions juggle an array of workers.
These effects, however, are mostly speculative. In general, the union has been and continues to be, at least for today, an effective and empowering tool workers use and need.
– Adam Kaminski
Sources: Investopedia, Union Plus
Photo: The Century Foundation
New Standards for Poverty Line in India
India’s Economic Advisory Council enacted its highest standard for poverty this summer. The new standards will place 30 percent of the nation’s population below the poverty line. This adds an extra eight percent to the estimate under previous standards.
By the new benchmarks, a rural family of five living on 4,860 rupees (or about $80) a month or an urban family on 7,035 rupees (at 2011-12 prices) is considered poor.
Despite encompassing more citizens under the poverty line in India, these new standards reflect progress. This year, after recent elections and a new government, marks the first time the nation has taken on major economic reform in two decades.
Over the past 20 years, the Indian economy has witnessed rapid changes. The United Nations reported that the Indian economy is expected to grow at a rate of 5.6 percent this year. It is on track to surpass these expectations, already having expanded its economy by 5.7 percent by August. The manufacturing and mining industries have accounted for this growth, according to the Central Statistics Office.
These changes will better acknowledge and help address the actual needs of the Indian population, argue many economists.
This new definition puts India’s standards above the average in the developing world. The most popular definition of poverty is the World Bank’s $1.25 a day standard. Some economists argue that this low standard of poverty undermines the struggles of many legitimately poor families. A low bar for poverty often minimizes legitimate needs for poor families that are above the bar.
This perpetuates many myths about poverty. For example, many believe food is the biggest need for India’s poor. However, health care, drinking water and proper sanitation make up 40 percent of the poor’s biggest needs, according to the Director of McKinsey Global Institute Richard Dobbs.
“The kinds of contrasts we possess, no other country has,” said Himanshu, an economist at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, in an interview with the Washington Post. “And in a democracy, these things need to be questioned. That’s what the poverty lines do.”
— Ellie Sennett
Sources: Business Standard, The New York Times, The World Bank, The Wall Street Journal, Economic Times (India), Huffington Post
Top Charities to Donate to for Hunger
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that around 870 million people of the 7.1 billion people in the world – that is, one in eight – were suffering from undernourishment between 2010 and 2012. Almost all the hungry people, 852 million to be exact, live in developing countries.
There are 16 million people undernourished in developed countries. Thankfully the number of undernourished people has decreased almost 30 percent in Asia and the Pacific, from 739 million to 563 million.
The decline in hungry people could be accredited to charities that make it their mission to end world hunger. One charity helping alleviate hunger for example treated 42,000 severely malnourished children in Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012. This charity is called Action Against Hunger.
Action Against Hunger has 30 years of expertise in specific areas like conflict, natural disaster and chronic food insecurity. It runs life-saving programs in over 40 countries benefiting seven million people each year.
In America, the number one charity to donate to for hunger is Feeding America. Formerly known as America’s Second Harvest, it provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than nine million children and almost three million seniors. Feeding America services all 50 states with more than 200 food banks.
While considering which charity to donate to, a third charity to consider is the Bread for the World Institute. The Institute is a lot like The Borgen Project in that it aims to educate its advocacy network, opinion leaders, policy makers and the public about hunger in the United States and abroad. One of the primary goals of the Institute is to end hunger in the United States by 2030.
Thanks to donations and hardworking volunteers, world hunger has been cut in half; however, hunger still kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. For example, Asia currently has the most people on its continent that are hungry, making up about two thirds of the area. In order to stay on track and end hunger by 2030, donations are imperative and any of the charities listed above are rapidly working to make sure the money donated is used in the most efficient way.
– Brooke Smith
Sources: about.com, Bread for the World Institute, Action Against the World, WFP
Photo: flickr
Good360: a Supporter of Charities
Founded in 1983, Good360 has been the nonprofit leader in product philanthropy since its start. Good360, formally known as Gifts In Kind until changing its name in 2011, quickly escalated and became the fastest growing and most efficient charity in the country according to The Nonprofit Times.
The basis of Good360 is it helps companies donate new, nonperishables like apparel, books, toys, personal care products, office and school supplies, and computers along with many other items. Only three years in, product donations valued at almost $44 million that had been distributed to qualified nonprofit organizations.
Because of some of the great work Good360 has done, it has been recognized by both the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy and Forbes for its success in helping companies drive their bottom lines while doing a social good at the same time.
Over time Good360 created something called Retail Donation Partner Program. This program is what allows local charities to partner with retail stores in their communities. This benefits not only the charities but the local retail stores as well in donating their surplus.
For example, the Washington Nationals baseball franchise partnered with Good360 and collected donated toothbrushes for people impacted by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
With all these things that the company does and oversees there needed to be a set way of doing things. There are three ways to distribute product donations to the needy: warehoused donations, local retail donations and one-time local donations.
To understand fully how great the company is, it’s important to know how these processes work. The warehouse donations process created an efficient means of maintaining large quantities of product that are then broken up into smaller portions that are easier for charities to distribute.
The local retail donations allow retailers to directly donate to charities in their community. This is beneficial because it helps smaller charities get products straight from local businesses on a continuing basis. This is also good because it creates strong connections between the retailers and charities.
The last way that Good360 distributes product donations is through one-time local donations. This basically entails finding homes quickly that need donations within the local community. This is beneficial because it helps reduce waste and companies don’t need to set up a certain amount that they will always donate each month. It can be an item that they have excess of and, rather than throwing it out, that product can go to a good home. When this happens, local charities are notified of the opportunities for donations in their community and then orders can be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Good360 made it on the Forbes list of the 50 largest charities in the United States. Ranking at number 36, Forbes also gave it 100 percent in the fundraising efficiency category. Only seven of the 50 charities received a 100 percent in the same category.
– Brooke Smith
Sources: Good360, Forbes
Photo: flickr
Innovation and Affordability: d.light Solar
The company d.light manufactures and distributes solar lights and other products to people around the world. Currently, 300 people work to complete the goals of d.light: give reliable energy to 100 million people by 2020. Aside from providing power, d.light notes that reliable power also contributes to better performance in school and better overall safety and health.
Nearly one and a half billion people around the world live without access to electricity. For a fifth of the population, the light switch that most people use every night does not exist. Most people without access to power live in regions with the highest rate of poverty: Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Many without access to power use kerosene lamps. But these are polluting and harmful to the people who use them. Burning one for four hours a day for one year results in 100 kg of carbon dioxide emissions, which contributes to climate change.
For individuals, using kerosene lamps can cause severe respiratory problems. If these health problems do not cause death, they severely limit access to jobs, which limits income and continues the cycle of poverty. As a demonstration of the importance of consistent electricity, it has been shown that household businesses with better lighting have a 30 percent increase in income, simply because it allows people to work at night.
The kerosene lamps are also extremely cost inefficient. LED lights produce almost 100 times more wattage than kerosene lamps. But without other options available, a significant portion of individual or family income goes toward kerosene lamps. Merely limiting access to modern technology results in dangerous, and possibly fatal consequences to people in poverty.
In 2004, Sam Goldman witnessed the effect of kerosene lamps when one burned his neighbor in Benin. This personal contact with the effects of limited access to electricity inspired Goldman to educate himself on sustainable and affordable innovation. During this time, he met Ned Tozun. Together, they created d.light, “an international social enterprise serving households without access to reliable electricity.”
d.light provides products such as study lamps, family lanterns and light systems with a phone charging capability. The products are powered through solar energy and can provide light for up to 15 hours. Indicating that the company knows its consumers, the products are versatile and can withstand the effects of weather or other uncontrollable factors.
As of July 31, d.light has empowered over 37 million lives, given solar lighting to almost 10 million children and saved over $1 billion in energy expenses. For each consumer, buying a d.light product can save approximately $150 over 5 years. Moreover, d.light positively impacted the environment by reducing carbon emissions by nearly 3 million tons.
Witnessing the dangerous affects of limited access to energy, two individuals created innovative yet accessible methods to address a problem associated with poverty. The innovation of d.light helps to alleviate both a cause and a consequence of an enormous issue. The benefits of d.light Solar evidences the significant potential impact of ensuring that people in poverty have access to innovative products.
– Tara Wilson
Sources: CNN, Acumen, d.light Solar
Photo: Discovery
WRF: Helping the Disabled Worldwide
Fifteen percent of the world’s population has some form of disability, leaving approximately 110 million adults with significant difficulties in functioning. Founded in 1955 by Howard Rusk, the World Rehabilitation Fund (WRF) believes that all people, regardless of disabilities, have the right to be part of their communities and to have full access to opportunities like education and employment.
To make good on its belief, WRF has become involved in humanitarian services in the Middle East. The nonprofit is dedicated to provide artificial limb technology to disabled people in Afghanistan, one of the most heavily-mined places in the world. WRF aims to provide fitted limbs to 2,000 amputees. WRF piloted prosthetics limbs in response to devastating natural disasters such as the earthquake that crippled thousands of Pakistanis in 2006. The artificial limbs have proved to be suitable and comfortable for below the knee amputees.
In addition to providing prosthetics, WRF also provides people with living skills and job opportunities, which helps amputees reestablish their self-esteem.
WRF also supports the disabilities by financially supporting the Artisans Association of Cambodia. The AAC sells artisan products made by Cambodians with disabilities and helps them to make a living wage. The sales revenue of the AAC rose from $250,000 in 1999 to over $3,000,000 in 2012, benefiting 2,000 artisans. The AAC exports its products to over 9 countries in Asia, Europe, North America and New Zealand.
Today, the WRF is responding to the civil war in Syria, assisting millions of refugees being forced to flee to neighboring countries such as Lebanon. WRF-Lebanon provides life-changing devices to people with disabilities ranging from hearing aids to artificial limbs. Over 600 people have been helped by WRF and its partners in that war-torn area.
WRF’s sustained efforts to make a difference in the lives of the disabled people across the globe is a testament to their belief that each person’s dignity is interconnected. As Rusk, says, “To believe in rehabilitation is to believe in humanity.”
– Jing Xu
Sources: World Health Organization, The World Rehabilitation Fund
Fast Facts on Hunger in Africa
The first of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals is that of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. But according to the recently released 2014 Human Development Report, there are still 1.2 billion people living on $1.25 a day or less with little access to adequate food — and a vast majority of Africans fall into this group.
Here are six facts to know about hunger in Africa:
1. Although Africa is the second largest continent and covers close to one fifth of the Earth’s land area, the 54 countries that comprise the continent cannot feed their people. This is not due to a lack of food but instead a lack of agricultural infrastructure, raised food prices, drought and conflict.
2. In the most recent estimate (2010), approximately 239 million people in sub-Saharan Africa were hungry. Out of those, 30 percent were undernourished.
3. There are many mouths to feed. African population growth expanded from 221 million in 1950 to 1 billion in 2009 and is expected to be 4 billion in the year 2100. With such a high population, it is nearly impossible to produce enough food for everyone.
4. Poverty is a cause of hunger, hunger is a cause of poverty. Living under the poverty line makes it extremely difficult to buy food. Without food and with hunger, a person has lack of energy and can develop health problems which mean lost days at work and more medical needs.
5. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, 160 million African children are malnourished, and one in five children will never reach 5 years of age.
6. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are a major cause of death in women and children. These deficiencies are often referred to as “hidden hunger.” To combat this problem, UNICEF reported that “The WHO, the New Economic Partnership for African Development, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Micronutrient Initiative and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition” have ensured that two-thirds of the sub-Saharan population now have access to iodized salt and children have been give vitamin A supplements.
While these facts are startling and seem unconquerable, they do not need to be. By moving to action, Africa can put an end to its hunger crisis. Moves to action may include donation to a charity or NGOs, such as The Borgen Project and contacting your state senator and asking them to support increase aid in U.S. foreign policy to end hunger in Africa.
– Kori Withers
Sources: UNICEF, NPR, United Nations, World Issues 360, Hunger Notes, United Nations Development Program
Photo: Flickr