The main theme for the book entitled “The Spirit Level: Why equal societies almost always do better” was about how inequality can affect even those who are not well off. This information is vital for someone in the planning profession because the economy and the labor force affects the job outlook as well as the other important factors in a certain area. The book was well written and was done with extensive years of research, not focusing on only one country, but doing a case study on many. When it comes to someone from the planning profession, it is important that one views things from the point of an economist. In the case of the United States, inequality can be seen in the labor force as well as immigrants in the country. The book also speaks of eleven health and social problems which can plague countries that have more unequal social statuses. The results of these studies were presented in the form of graphs. This can be seen in the introduction of the book:
“Although economic growth has been the most important driver of human progress in the past and still has a crucial role to play in improving lives in developing countries, we in the developed world must now look elsewhere for further improvements in the real quality of life.” (qtd. Wilkinson and Pickett)
The book shows that the more unequal a country is the more people there are suffering from mental health problems, physical conditions, drug abuse and high child-mortality rates. The job of a planner can take this into consideration, if looking within the United States, in terms of immigration. Economists are interested in immigration for two reasons: their impact on the labor market and what progress these immigrants are contributing to the United States economy. These two areas of concern are important because research shows that the labor markets have changes considerably due to the changing contexts of recent immigrants. This research leads us to believe that further conceptual work is needed for us to determine the role of employers in the labor market and how they employ people, particularly immigrants. Studies show that the greatest wave of immigration in the United States occurred during the year 1994 (Abernathy, Barff, Burtless, et. al., 1994). It is believed that the labor market is not static, and changes throughout time balancing a new equilibrium. Studies claim that immigration has negatively affected the American Labor Movement (Briggs, 2007). This is because immigration directly affects the size, the composition and the skills in the labor market. These involve people from ethnic groups in connection to the labor market (Edmonston, 1996).
There are many dimensions of cultural diversity, this can be seen within the United States. One might not see a problem if they look at it through one superficial layer. However, keeping the book written by Wilkinson and Picket (2009) in mind, you can see how cultural diversity can affect the economy. Cultural diversity refers to the variety of human cultures or societies in a certain location, or around the world. It is the existing cultural differences between people from different races or ethnic groups. Examples of this are languages, how people dress and their traditions. Different cultures also have different ways of organizing themselves and interacting with the environment. The dimensions of diversity come in layers; the inner layer covers the following: age, ethnicity, gender, national, regional or other geographical areas of origin, physical and mental ability, race and sexual orientation. This primary phase or layer of diversity is powerful in society because in brings a big impact on our socialization, experiences, values as well as assumptions. The second layer includes the following: Education, military experience, income, family status, social class and spiritual practice. This secondary dimension of diversity is important because it contains elements which are more specific, and can lead to prejudice assumptions and discrimination when negative attitudes are not adverse.
The United States labor market has changed throughout time and demands for labor have change. The number of immigrants entering the United States has increased the competition for low-skilled jobs and manufacturing employment has declined, low-paying service occupations expanded (Abernathy, Barff, Burtless, et. al., 1994). Many will agree that our immigration system is in need of changing (“Focusing on the Solutions”, 2010). This involves the exploitation of labor workers and unfair competitions with employers who increase profits by hiring cheap and vulnerable labor. The problem in the labor market in terms of immigration lies in the United State’s immigration policies. In order to balance out the equilibrium in the labor market, there needs to be a change within the immigration in terms of illegal aliens. By doing this, the competition for cheap labor will decline, and the number of racial and ethnic groups undergoing this type of exploitation will lessen. This can be done by ensuring changes in workforce immigration programs and matching them with strong economic development programs for native-born workers. This way, the labor market will be balanced-out.
“The power of inclusion and exclusion indicate our fundamental need for social integration” (Wilkinson and Picket).
Cultural diversity refers to the differences we see in race, society and cultures. Inclusion is the feeling of belonging despite these differences. In an organization, inclusion is the engaging of individuals no matter what social, ethnic or cultural background they are from. This is important in the success of the organization as a whole, because it promotes working together. Inclusion involves understanding diversity and displaying human respect. It is treating everyone equally without any sort of discrimination or prejudices. Inclusion also requires individuals to be aware of diversity, as well as not to make assumptions based on this diversity. Inclusion is usually related to children with education as well as their rights to be treated and valued on the same level as regular education students. Although, there is a broader spectrum which includes anyone who may be at risk of being alienated for reasons of race, gender, sex and any other factor that can contribute to exclusion will benefit immensely from the practice of inclusion.
As compared to the educational system, the workplace seems to offer a more diverse variety of individuals. Since you only get to interact with your peers in school - people who are the same age as you, generally from the same area, and most of the time with the same economic or social status. The workplace seems to be a more diverse place. One matter which did come to my attention during the readings and learning the definition of inclusion is that I do not see many people with disabilities in the workplace, and there are not many in school. I believe that this could be an issue with inclusion. The incorporation of diversity in the workplace is essential to an organization because it improves productivity and allows the company to remain competitive. It is not only for social morality and economic equality, the training to be aware of and accept diversity for the benefits of the company in increasing profit in both national and global competition. The training incorporating diversity in the workplace includes employees and employers being aware of the following: the needs of workers, the demands of competitiveness as well as satisfying them, and fulfilling the company’s role within the community. Organizations respond to incorporating diversity in the workplace, not only to ensure a healthy working environment, but also to reap the potential benefits it offers. The most important aspect of the incorporation of diversity is increasing productivity among workers. This is more specific among minority groups, workers with certain disabilities, women and homosexuals; these are groups who have been underrepresented throughout history.
Works Cited
Abernathy, V., Barff, R.A., Burtless, G., et. al. (1994). Immigration and the Labor Market: Discussion Sponsored by Center for Immigration Studies and Center for Public Policy & Contemporary Issues. Center for Immigration Studies. Web. Retrieved from http://www.cis.org/Immigration%2526LaborMarket
Briggs, V.M., Jr, (2007). How many illegal aliens are in the U.S.? Social Contract Journal Issues, 17(4).
Edmonston, B. ed. (1996). Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences.
Focusing on the Solutions: Key Principles of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (2010). Immigration Policy Center. Web. Retrieved from http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/
sites/default/files/docs/Solutions_Paper_032310.pdf
Wilkinson, R. & Picket, K. “The Spirit Level: Why more equal societies almost always do
better”. United Kingdom: Allen Lane, 2009.
