Is Inequality Good or Bad? It Depends
Channel: SACSIS
Date: 2010-11-09

"Is inequality good or bad? It depends," said Prof. Haroon Bhorat of the University of Cape Town's School of Economics, setting off a heated debate at a roundtable discussion co-hosted by The South African Civil Society Information Service (www.sacsis.org.za) and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung South Africa Office (www.fes-southafrica.org). It took place on September 17, 2010.

"Every issue should not be a normative one," says Bhorat who urges people to follow the numbers to find true answers.

Bhorat argues that our normative response to the question, "Is inequality wrong?" is yes, of course it's bad. But benign levels of inequality are not bad for economic growth. It is a high level of inequality such as the kind prevalent in South Africa that is bad for economic growth.

  Media speakers at the event included, Mondli Makhanya (Editor in Chief, Avusa Media/Chairperson, SANEF), Nic Dawes (Editor in Chief of the Mail & Guardian), Reg Rumney (Head of the Centre for Economics Journalism in Africa, Rhodes University) and Alide Dasnois (Editor of the Cape Times).  

The roundtable discussion, which examined the media's perspective of the South African economy, put the following questions to editors: Is the economy on the right growth path? What are the prospects for making it more inclusive? How does the media report on the economy? Does the media have a vision for South Africa's economic development?