Parishti Project

There is an earnest belief in some political circles that anyone can "pull themselves up by their bootstraps".

Leaving aside the sarcastic intention of the original phrase, people who believe in bootstrapping are wrong (of course).

While the seeds of social mobility cannot germinate in poor soil, they also cannot germinate if they are not properly tended. There are many barriers to social mobility, including the glass ceilings, and sticky floors, that you have likely heard about.

It is better instead to focus on the drivers of social mobility because that is where policy can drive results. I will post about each of them in turn, but the four most-common drivers of social mobility are:

1) Public Education. Without education, individuals cannot raise themselves out of poverty solely by their own labours.

2) Universal Healthcare and Employment Insurance. Individuals impacted harshly by adverse life events cannot achieve their maximum potential until these challenges are addressed.

3) Income Disparity. If the talents of individuals are not properly compensated, no amount of effort on their part will raise them out of poverty.

4) Taxation of Heritable Wealth. As long as wealth remains trapped in the hands of the few families by unchecked heritability, the free market has no opportunity to redistribute that wealth to its highest and best use.