| This question <51|64> overall <57|59> Pegasus: <964|59>. |
| Question 2: Give examples which show that the wealth of a nation can be unrelated or perhaps even opposite to the wealth of the individuals living in that nation. |
| [58] Pegasus: Some of the wealthy arab states, like for instance Kuwait and the Arab Emirates, can serve as examples of countries where the wealth of the nation is unrelated to the wealth of the individuals living there. With wealth I am referring to the possession of material goods or commodities. In these countries, many of the inhabitants are nomads for instance. Only a small part of the population partake in a great deal of material wealth. This is why the per capita income is so high. A small portion of the population is very wealthy, while most are quite poor (by material standards). The wealth of the country therefore does not reflect the wealth of the general population. |
| Hans: Your argument shows that the per capita GNP does no necessarily reflect the wealth of the population. And you tacitly identified GNP with the wealth of the “nation.” Is there any basis for it? Can one speak of the wealth of a nation (not meaning the individuals in this nation but the nation itself?) See [196]. |
| [58] Pegasus: (datestring)Wed, 25 Jan 1995 14:50:05 -0700 (MST)(/datestring) In my answer to question 2 I equated GNP with the wealth of a nation. You asked me if there really is such a thing as wealth of a nation. In my opinion there is (although my outlook might be very capitalistic). There is such a thing as the state, and the state has a certain economy and a certain amount of resources. For instance labor force, education, natural resources, production of commodities etc. A country with a high degree of these will be “richer” because it has more resources so that its labor force is better equipped to produce more and better commodities. I am curious, what would Marx say to such a view of wealth?? |
| Hans: Marx would say that the purpose of capitalism is not to produce more and better commodities but to accumulate capital, and that therefore the wealth of a nation must realistically be measured in these terms. |
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