CAPITALISM'S ACHILLES HEEL Dirty Money and How to

The Global Divide 239
that inequality is narrowing is unconvincing, and the notion that the poor
grow at the same pace as the rich is likewise unconvincing. It may be true
but not because of the analyses thus far presented. Hopefully, future inequality
studies will strongly qualify any conclusions drawn from recognizably
incomplete data.
Capitalism’s Achilles heel, in this second part of the three-part continuum,
is best understood as, not the one or two percent of global income received
by the bottom 20 percent, but the 70 to 90 percent of global income
received by the top 20 percent. This is the situation that must change decisively
and in a time period shorter than centuries.
Amartya Sen is most articulate on these issues. He speaks of “. . . the
general process of globalization, from which there is no escape and no great
reason to seek escape.” “What is needed is a fairer distribution of the fruits
of globalization. The central issue is inequality. The principal challenge relates
to inequality—between as well as within nations. The basic concerns
relate to the massive levels of inequality and poverty—not whether they are
also increasing at the margin.” 47