Approved 6/18/02

 

 

ECONOMIC DISTRIBUTION

Level III

 

 

RATIONALE:  Economic Distribution generally involves measuring the distribution of wealth and the distribution of income.  “Wealth” is the quantity of money, property and other economic resources at one particular point in time.   “Income” is the flow of money or other economic resources over a given period of time, such as a week, a month, a year, a lifetime.   Wealth and income can be measured for individuals, families, businesses and governments.

 

 

There is fairly general agreement about the “facts” of economic distribution.  For example, in the U.S. both family income and family wealth are distributed more unequally today than thirty years ago.  But there are diverse ideas and considerable debate about the causes and reasons for growing inequality.  There are also various opinions about the ethical and philosophical issues raised by the distributions of wealth and income, and about what can and should be done to reduce inequality.

 

 

Because so much of our well-being in our families and communities, as well as what we do in public and community service, is directly or indirectly concerned with the manifestations and consequences of inequality in economic distribution, the CPCS Mission Statement sets, as one of the goals of the College, educating students to “foster the public good and aid the transformation to a more equitable society.”

 

 

As a foundation for this goal, the Economic Distribution competency requires a student to demonstrate factual knowledge of how economic resources are distributed in society, at either the state, national, or international scale.  In addition, the competency requires the student to demonstrate basic understanding of arguments about why economic resources are distributed as they are, as well as the role of values in assessing the distribution.  Finally, the competency requires an understanding of political and strategic approaches used to try to change the existing distribution of economic resources. 

 

 

COMPETENCY: Can analyze critically facts, explanations and implications of the distribution of wealth and income.

 

 

CRITERIA:

 

1.  Explain the nature of economic resources.

2.  Select a geographical area and scale, such as state, national, or international.  Then summarize and explain basic facts about wealth and income distribution for this area.

3.      Select one of the primary sources of data about economic distribution used for Criterion 2, and discuss where the data come from and possible limitations to the data.

4.  Compare alternative approaches to defining “poverty” and explain how the extent and distribution of poverty differs depending upon which definition is used. 

5.  Identify, summarize and compare contrasting major explanations of why economic resources are distributed as they are. 

6.  Using at least two of the explanations from Criterion 5, discuss how they explain at least two of the following topics or alternative topics approved in writing by an evaluator:

7.      Identify a specific program or campaign focused on issues of economic equity and discuss its goals, strategies and effectiveness.

PORTFOLIO LINKS: You are expected to use the Writing Portfolio criteria and standards as guidelines for the written products required by this competency.

 

Papers written for this competency may be considered for submission to the Writing Portfolio.

 

 

STANDARDS:

 

1.      For Criterion 1 the student must prepare a brief written or oral presentation that accurately explains the following:

a.       the difference between income and wealth;

b.      the differences among various types of income and their sources;

c.       the differences among various types of property;

d.      the difference between private ownership and public or common ownership.

 

2.       For Criterion 2, you must consider at least two of the following for individuals, families or households:

a.       current or recent numerical measures of income and wealth distribution;

b.      historical/temporal changes in income and wealth distribution;

c.       spatial inequality of economic distribution within the area;

d.      social dimensions of economic inequality, such as differences by class, race, gender, and age.

 

Quantitative data must be presented accurately in both tabular and graphical form.  Tabular and graphical presentations must be accurately summarized and interpreted in brief written or oral narratives.

 

3.      For Criterion 3, you must identify at least one primary source, such as reports produced by the Census Bureau, Federal Reserve Board, United Nations or World Bank.  Summarize briefly the methodology or procedures used to generate the data.  Discuss some possible limitations of the data, such as completeness, timeliness, margins of error, consistency with other sources, ideological bias in definition and categories.

4.      For Criterion  4     

a.  explain the official U.S. definition of “poverty”

b.  compare the official U.S. definition with at least two alternative approaches to “poverty” or “subsistence” that have either been proposed for the U.S. or are used in other countries 

c.  explain how the extent and distribution of poverty differs depending upon which definition is used

d.  briefly summarize arguments for and against the different approaches.

 

5.      For Criterion 5, identify, summarize and compare at least two different recognized explanations which differ in their analysis of which factors they claim are most important in accounting for economic distribution.  The arguments must be located in published sources.  The summaries and comparison must be accurate. 

6.      For Criterion 6,  At least one published source must be utilized in discussing each topic.  A brief written or oral presentation must be prepared that explains the implications and identifies the values perspective of the author(s) in relation to the issue.  First-hand experience, from personal life, work, community activity or a CPCS collaborative project, may be utilized along with the published source(s).

  7.      For criterion #7, you may select, but are not limited to, the following:

a.        The War on Poverty

b.       The New Deal

c.        union organizing

d.       living wage campaigns

e.        progressive taxation of income and wealth

f.        debt relief

g.        land reform

h.        local economic development

i.         social revolution

 

At least three published sources must be utilized in discussing the topic.  First-hand experience, from personal life, work, community activity or a CPCS collaborative project, may be utilized along with the published source(s).

 

 

EXAMPLES OF DEMONSTRATION:

 

1.      Prior Learning: You have worked with an organization or campaign concerned with economic distribution issues -- such as United for a Fair Economy, a union, a living wage campaign, a family self-sufficiency campaign, an anti-sweatshop campaign, the Tax Equity Alliance of Massachusetts — where you role included at least some of the following: doing research, developing materials, doing training, speaking to constituencies, testifying.  Prepare a written outline or summary of your role and work, identifying which competency criteria you feel have been demonstrated.  Submit written materials, tapes, affidavits, or other evidence documenting work done and skills demonstrated through the work.  For any criteria not fully covered by prior learning, negotiate with evaluator(s) for any additional work to be done (independently or through the organization or some other way) and mode of demonstration; carry out and demonstrate this additional work as agreed upon.

2.      Independent Learning: You are interested in whether the distributions of  income and wealth in Massachusetts are more or less equal than the distributions of income and wealth for the U.S. as a whole.  You may not be involved right now with any campaign around the issue, but think this kind of information might be useful for a living-wage campaign or tax-reform campaign, as well as for increasing general public awareness through the media.  You have good math and computer skills and have already demonstrated the Quantitative Reasoning competency.  You meet with an evaluator to discuss your idea.  You go over the competency criteria together, identify possible sources of information and materials you might read, and emerge from the meeting agreeing to put together a written proposal for your project.  When your proposal has been finalized and the evaluator has signed off on it, you undertake your project, meeting periodically with the evaluator to go over what you have done and get feedback.   Your final products consist of a set of fact sheets and visuals, and a newspaper feature article.

3.      Course:  Through a CPCS course you read about, investigate and discuss economic distribution.  

4.      Field Project:  You are part of a team of CPCS students and faculty working with an advocacy group concerned about how former welfare recipients are faring economically since the onset of welfare reform time limits in Massachusetts.   The project will not only try to find out as much as possible about the economic situations of such families, but also assess their circumstances in relation to the cost of living in Massachusetts and the distribution of income and wealth in the state.   You and the rest of the team participate in meetings with the advocacy group to develop a work plan for the project.  Throughout the project, you work as part of the full team, as well as in small groups and on individual tasks.  You read about and discuss the issues, contribute to collecting and summarizing available data, and participate in collecting and analyzing new information.  The final products of the project include a written report and a videotape.