Which of the following is motivated by an equity concern?
A) Some U.S. colleges have cut back on merit scholarships since these programs siphon
money from need-based programs, thus harming lower-income students with greater
financial need.
B) Following the removal of subsidies in urban water use, household demand for water
decreased quite significantly in Bogor, Indonesia.
C) In November 2003, the Federal Communications Commission implemented the
“local number portability” rule which gives cell phone customers the option of keeping
their number when they switch carriers within the same geographic region.
D) The United States protects intellectual property rights, allowing inventors to prevent
others from using their inventions without payment.
Article Summary. In an August 2013 speech from the Lincoln Memorial, President
Obama was expected to emphasize that increased economic equality is needed to
improve racial equality. Economic gaps based on race have endured for 50 years,
with the differences in unemployment rates between blacks and whites remaining
virtually unchanged and the gap in wealth actually increasing. “If you look at 50
years after the 1960s civil rights movement, the most stubborn and persistent
challenge when it comes to the nation’s racial challenge remains in the areas of
economics and wealth,” said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban
League.
Source: Zachary A. Goldfarb, “For Obama, 50 years after historic march,
economic equality the path to racial justice,” Washington Post, August 17, 2013.
The article mentions increased economic equality is needed in terms of wealth, and for
some people this means a more equitable distribution of wealth. Would an equitable
distribution of wealth necessarily be the most efficient distribution of wealth?
A) Yes, equitable and efficient are two different words which have the same definition.
B) Yes, in order for the distribution to be equitable, it must also be efficient.