Research by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has shown that inequality is most prevalent among wealthy nations. This goes against what many people would be expecting. Modernization and democracy as preached by the developed nations ought to bring the level of earning by households to the highest possible level without disturbing economic principles. The US as the most developed nation has failed in delivering equality with Britain leading other developed nations in having the most unequal society. Compared to other developed countries though way far behind the US in developed, then the American society is performing dismally.
Other researches have shown that instead of the economic position of an American improving when adjusted to inflation, their earnings are less. Tulla Conell writes that the average American middle-aged man is worse off than he was 30 years ago. Comparing this with other developed countries, it means that the average American middle man is better off working in any other developed countries such as Sweden and Finland where chances of upward mobility are higher as pointed out by increased equality levels. Income earned by the poor people in America is becoming lower and lower as compared to what the rich people earn.
As such the American dream of upward mobility is threatened more than ever. In other words, this situation is increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. Other countries are doing well in trying to narrow the gap between the rich and the rich and the poor. On a positive note, inequality or the difference between the rich and the poor might not be as large as we would want to believe but a little bit smaller. This is what has come to be named as the “Hello effect” where the media drives us to believe in our lacking and the having of others mainly the super-rich.