Thursday, April 12, 2007

Socioeconomic model

Is there an ideal socioeconomic model to maximize peace, justice, satisfaction, progress, happiness, sustainability, goodwill? All models so far embraced across time fall short in various ways, owing to the wide spectrum of human characteristics, including intelligence, talent, physical prowess, imagination, desire, experience, opportunity, ambition, faith, gender, responsibility, luck, self restraint, compliance, cooperation, etc.
An ideal socioeconomic model would enable the vast majority of citizens to be gainfully and/or usefully employed. It would incentivize various kinds of responsible behavior, such as committed marriage, family planning, interest in current events and other knowledge, cultural involvement, respect for law, care for others, work at available jobs appropriate to education and skills. It would seek to insure agricultural reserve, which requires some restraint of population growth. It would maintain a spectrum of skills and capacities for self reliance.
Globalization of virtually all production and information industries undermines any advanced nation's attempt to implement an ideal socioeconomic model. Migrations from less advanced nations complicate such attempts similarly. Modern economists consider these trends desirable, as they result in expanding economic activity and increasing wealth for the majority of those affected. A few economists and others suspect that the associated job dislocation, loss of self respect and anxiety among an advanced nation's citizens are too great a price to pay for these results.
The western model results in too many throw-away people turning to recreational drugs and criminal life. It is fiscally irresponsible, heading for bankruptcy. It depends on immigration, resulting in demographic problems much greater than the economic problems solved by the immigration.

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