For Whom Wealth Matters
February 13, 2011 2 Comments
Here is something I came across while browsing today : http://www.giveasyoulive.com/ .I’m really not upto scratch with internet technologies.So could anybody who knows more please tell me about similar applications or programmes?I found this pretty interesting, just the 10-50% haircut made me pause.Has somebody any idea of how much developing something like this cost?Is there some free version available?
February 13, 2011 6 Comments
This post is in reply to this post http://goodnewsforisla.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/day-58-billions/ and other articles in a similar vein.
To quote from the above post:
1) Today’s 1,123 billionaires hold more wealth than the wealth of half the world’s adult population.
2) The wealthiest 7 people on earth control more wealth than the combined GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 most heavily indebted (poor) nations.
3) The poorest 40 percent of the world’s population accounts for just 5 percent of the global income. The richest 20 percent accounts for three-quarters of the world’s income.
These facts are staggering when you consider the disparity between the wealthy and the poor. If only those that were extremely wealthy would share their wealth, perhaps the poor wouldn’t be as poor. The sick could be cured. Thirst could be quenched, and hungry tummies fed.
Please consider the following points:
(1) Billionaires hold about one percent of the world’s house hold wealth( source:http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=108&subsecID=900003&contentID=254950).So what would happen if all the world’s rich gave away their wealth?Something like this…..The world’s richest man Carlos Slim Helu has a estimated networth of less than US$60billion.There are some six billion souls on earth.So if we were to distribute his money amongst all the people of the world,each person would get an additional US$10.And if instead of all the people if we were to give the money to only the poorer 50% ,each person would get US$20.Still money but not that much….. Read more of this post
January 17, 2011 Leave a comment
Conversations about charity and philanthropy often make me acutely uncomfortable.There is a bit too much sanctimony, one upmanship and pretence for my tastes.Unfortunately ever since Warren Buffet came up with his “The Giving Pledge” , philanthropy is frequently in the news and such conversations have become increasingly commonplace. I just don’t think much of using social pressure to get individuals to comply.It just offends the Libertarian in me.Moreover,I find it hard to see every act of charity I hear of as completely altruistic and having to go through the motions of pretending otherwise is a drag.Worse , I’m all too aware of my own motivations and social expectations of altruism makes giving so stressful.
For people like me ,I come across something interesting while reading last Thursday’s Economic Times newspaper.In an article reviewing the book “Stages of Capital: Law, Culture, and Market Governance in Late Colonial India” by Ritu Birla there is a mention of different types of donations practised by traditional Jain merchants of Jaipur such as:
This approach of accepting that donations have various motivations,and according all such donations, irrespective of motivations, legitimacy makes it so much easier to talk about charity,gifting and philanthropy.It doesn’t expect the giver to be a altruistic saint all the time.Nor does it demean the receiver since he/she helps the giver to get something of value in return.Overall it saves a lot of agony and agonizing in the giver,receiver and society at large.
wealthymatters 