Darwin and Inequality

Charles Darwin during his travels on the Beagle noted the wretched primitive state of natives from Tierra del Fuego. He attributed it to their being egalitarians and to the lack of a leader among them. The Gini Index of inequality suggests strong inequality today in the richest, more developed countries. The paper discusses whether equality and civilization are really incompatible.

Impactos socioeconómicos del turismo de naturaleza: opiniones del sector privado y desigualdad en la distribución de las rentas, Baños-Ecuador = Socioeconomic impacts of Nature‐based tourism: private sector opinions and inequality in incomes distribution, Baños‐Ecuador

ResumenEl turismo de naturaleza genera oportunidades para las comunidades rurales de países en vías de desarrollo; sin embargo, el crecimiento del sector turístico privado sin una regulación efectiva puede impactar negativamente en los destinos naturales. El objetivo de la investigación es comprender los principales impactos socioeconómicos del destino Baños en Ecuador y la actitud de los agentes privados frente a ellos. En una primera parte del estudio se recolectan las opiniones del 50% de los principales empresarios turísticos a través de una encuesta: alojamientos, restaurantes y agencias de viajes. Los resultados son cotejados entre los diferentes grupos, revelando su nivel de conocimiento y conciencia respecto a la realidad de los impactos. En el estudio de distribución de las rentas, se comparan los ingresos de diversos actores que operan en uno de los principales atractivos naturales del destino turístico. Este último análisis demuestra la existencia de una fuerte inequidad en la repartición de los ingresos, y su origen en el monopolio de un recurso natural. Emergen nuevas líneas de trabajo, como la evolución de los impactos del turismo de naturaleza, modelos colaborativos de gestión y metodologías de investigación aplicables a contextos similares.AbstractNature-based tourism generates opportunities for rural communities in developing countries. However, the growth of the private tourism sector without effective regulation can negatively impact natural destinations. The main objective of this research is to understand main socioeconomic impacts of Baños destination in Ecuador and to know the attitude of the private stakeholders facing them. In the first part of the study, the opinions of 50% of private stakeholders (accommodation, restaurants andtravel agencies) have been collected. The results of the survey are compared among different collectives, revealing their level of comprehension and awareness regard to the reality of such impacts.In the next part of the research, the incomes of various entrepreneurs that operate in the same natural attraction of destination are collated. This last analysis shows a strong inequality in the incomes distribution and its origin in the monopoly of a natural resource. The investigation opens new research topics, such as the impacts tourism evolution, collaborative management models and research methodologies applicable to similar contexts.

Introduction

Børge Bakken explains that the Party ideology of the “Chinese Dream” is not the alleged dream of the people as presented by the propaganda, but rather the dream of the emperor. The “Dream” is instead building on a strategy of “betting on the strong”. Inequality in China as measured by the Gini coefficient of relative income differences has reached world top levels, making China one of the most unequal societies in the world today. It is virtually impossible for poor migrants to achieve any kind of prosperity under circumstances disfavouring them. In coping with this problem, the poor and the destitute employ illegal strategies and employ certain “weapons of the weak” in order to cope with the strain created by the unequal framework they are operating within.

Square functions in ergodic theory

Given the usual averages in ergodic theory, let n1 ≤ n2 ≤ … and . There is a strong inequality ‖Sf‖2 ≤ 25‖f‖2 and there is a weak inequality m{Sf > λ} ≤ (7000/λ)‖f‖1. Related results and questions for other variants of this square function are also discussed.