This week a student wrote in my INTL 5400 International Political Economy class: 'So,
according to Malthus, value is found not in a resource, but rather in
its absence." The scarcity theory relates to the supply and demand
theory, in which prices are raised when demand exceeds supply.
Are we really living in a world of scarcity?
Mahatma Ghandhi said that "The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed."
According to the UN, 870 million people today don't have enough to eat. Is that because there isn't enough food, or is there something wrong with the food production/distribution system worldwide?
Global average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has risen dramatically in recent years. It is now at $11,500 per person (http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=xx&v=67). GDP is defined as a purchasing power parity basis divided by population. Yet, 15% of the planet are facing hunger. There is a massive global income gap between wealthy countries and developing countries. Sub-Sahara Africa is considered amongst the poorest of regions.
The dominant agricultural production model also wastes an astounding amount of food. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), over a third of all food produced gets lost in present production and consumption systems.
Are we really living in a world of scarcity?
Mahatma Ghandhi said that "The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed."
According to the UN, 870 million people today don't have enough to eat. Is that because there isn't enough food, or is there something wrong with the food production/distribution system worldwide?
Global average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has risen dramatically in recent years. It is now at $11,500 per person (http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=xx&v=67). GDP is defined as a purchasing power parity basis divided by population. Yet, 15% of the planet are facing hunger. There is a massive global income gap between wealthy countries and developing countries. Sub-Sahara Africa is considered amongst the poorest of regions.
The dominant agricultural production model also wastes an astounding amount of food. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), over a third of all food produced gets lost in present production and consumption systems.
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