The Layman's Economy ???

The rich are growing richer faster than the poor in developing Asia as disparities in standards of living continue to widen in one of the most dynamic regions in the world, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) study said Wednesday. "For example, the expenditures of the rich or top 20 percent have increased much more than those of the poor or the bottom 20 percent," the report said. "This has happened even in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia where relative inequality declined."

Relative inequality, measured as the change in proportionate differences in income between the richest and poorest in society, has risen in 15 countries studied since the early 1990s, according to the bank's Key Indicators 2007 report. Although basic poverty levels have fallen as Asian economies have expanded, the living standards of the wealthiest in society have improved at a much faster rate, leaving the poorest lagging even further behind.

The Economist states that populist measures to soak the rich are not the answer: they would stunt growth. The ADB instead recommends governments focus on policies that lift the incomes of the poor, such as improving rural access to health, education and social protection. More investment in rural infrastructure could boost productivity in farming and increase job opportunities for the poor. But that is easier said than done. Rajiv Gandhi famously remarked that only 15% of government money intended for India's poor ever reached them. Most of it leaks out in bureaucratic incompetence or corruption—fattening the wallets of those who are already well-to-do.