Curiosidade do dia

O FT de ontem publicou uma coluna de opinião intitulada

"Zero-sum thinking is fuelling resentment":

"A good deal of public discourse now feels framed as zero sum: the assumption that one group must lose in order for another to gain.

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It's as if we are stuck in a game of musical chairs, with too few seats and some players doomed to miss out. The idea that we can expand the circle, that entrepreneurs can spread prosperity, is getting lost. And, worryingly, there is evidence that this kind of thinking undermines willingness to co-operate. Zero-sum thinking is not new. But it seems to be on the rise, especially among the young. 

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There is also evidence that beliefs about social mobility can be self-fulfilling.

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If we are not careful, we are heading for a future that is poorer both economically and culturally.

In a study of 37 nations, those who agreed that "if someone gets richer, it means somebody else gets poorer" also tended to be more cynical about institutions and less likely to volunteer. This bodes ill for the social fabric. Inadvertently, this also increases the pressure to expand government.

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How do we move from a conversation about "who gets the biggest slice" to "how do we increase the pie"? It's easier for politicians to indulge in the politics of grievance than to build voter confidence that we can grow our way out of this."

Quando o crescimento desaparece durante demasiado tempo, as pessoas deixam de acreditar que novas oportunidades podem ser criadas. Passam a disputar as existentes, exigem protecção e olham para o sucesso alheio com suspeita. A estagnação deixa então de ser apenas económica: torna-se cultural e política, reduzindo a abertura à mudança, ao investimento e ao empreendedorismo. 

E torna-se numa "self-fulfilling prophecy".