Challenges to Societal Progress - Pull-back in Response to Disparities

Abstract

There are empirical grounds for supporting unrestrained, globalized cooperative human measures as being beneficial to the international standard of living. A high extent of interconnectedness on multiple levels has already been realized in transportation systems, energy distribution channels, and communication networks. However, in periods of societal transition, as can be the case under rapid technology development, tensions may arise if disparities in wealth, power, or infrastructure access widen extensively. When subgroups of the citizenry that do not sufficiently partake in progress feel left behind or disenfranchised, their triggering of pull-back phenomena is very common. The pattern is repetitive: disparities not remedied on a lower scale impair integration on a larger scale. Equitable infrastructure maintenance and development, regionally, nationally, and globally, is a powerful policy tool for preempting pull-backs – especially if it is applied to communities with weak support or high inequality. The characteristics of the modern world demand far-reaching collaborations. Only universal interdependence, built from the roots up, can enable progress and social justice.