Dear Larry (economics editor),

Why the surprise at the world's poor falling further behind? Especially from an economist, who should know that money is invested where it will yield the biggest return for investors. When Western companies invest in poor countries it is to exploit their natural resources or cheaper labour, which they use to produce products for those best able to pay for them, i.e. the wealthy. It's a vicious circle in which the rich must get richer and the poor (relatively) poorer.

Investors are looking for profit, not to help the poor. Is it not what they owe to themselves and their own families? Is it not what society and the economy expects, and even demands, of them?

If we are serious about wanting to narrow the divide, as we should be, since it is in the vital self-interest of everyone, rich and poor alike, we must question the very foundations of our free-market economy and the values, attitudes and aspirations on which they are based. 

It is in everyone's "enlightened" self-interest, because without narrowing the divide between rich and poor there is no hope of us ever achieving sustainability, without which there can be no future for anyone.

It is usually assumed that the poor are the world's biggest problem, but in fact it is the RICH who are a far bigger problem. Not simply because they place a far greater per capita burden on our planet's limited resources and finite carrying capacity than the poor, but much more importantly, because they act as role models, whose non-sustainable economic activity and lifestyles the rest of the world is seeking to emulate.

We need to recognise that the values, attitudes and aspirations on which our economy is based and depends stem largely from our primitive, more animal than human nature.

The idea of "ethical" money and investment is very much the right idea (stemming from our more human than animal nature), but instead of serving just a tiny niche market for the consciences of more responsible investors, it needs to be made the very basis of an alternative, sustainable society (economy and lifestyles), within but separate from existing, non-sustainable society, in which money is used "ethically" not only in how it is invested, but also in how it is earned and spent.

For more details you might like to take a look at my website at www.spaceship-earth.org.