Oxfam: The unjust poverty and unearned wealth

During the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in January 2025, Oxfam Italy presented an analysis on the state of economic and social inequalities in the world and in Italy. The report is based on data from international and national sources and field evidence from 80 countries.

The report shows that the increase in wealth is often the result of an "extractive" economic system, where few individuals and privileged groups accumulate wealth at the expense of the majority. This system does not reward merit and commitment, but exploits the unequal mechanisms favoured by political choices that perpetuate and reproduce inequalities.

The global picture reveals alarming statistics of billions of people living below the poverty line and on the other hand an increase in the number of the richest and their assets that constitute about 45% of the world’s wealth.

A strong link between capital and power is underlined, as the accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few results in an increase in their political power. This means that political decisions may reflect the interests of a privileged minority rather than the common good, thus creating a vicious circle of inequality.
The economic precarization and cultural marginalization of large areas of the population fuel political proposals that, exploiting fear, create artificial divisions between the least.

The report presents a detailed panorama of the system that allows the accumulation of extreme wealth and the roots of the imbalances between the North and the South of the world that interact in an asymmetric dynamic of modern colonialism. 
An important attention is dedicated to the Italian context, defined as a country of reversed fortunes with divergent trajectories of family welfare, where structural conditions are becoming more and more entrenched, causing inequalities that pass from one generation to the next, preventing the social lift from starting again. The research focuses on the deeply unequal and fragmented tax system which provides more favourable tax conditions for those with higher incomes and greater power. Moreover, according to the study, the law on differentiated autonomy risks further undermining the equality of citizens, who already suffer from deep disparities in access to public services depending on where they live.

The report concludes with a call for accountability towards the government, proposing a series of policy recommendations in different areas to tackle economic and social gaps.
The fight against inequality is a complex challenge, requiring collective commitment. Only through a profound change in economic and social policies will it be possible to build a more just and sustainable future for all.