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Workforce Education : The Nexus Between Capitalism And Democracy

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Introduction Gilpin discusses the conundrums brought about by the topic of workforce education in her article, Workforce Education: the Nexus between Capitalism and Democracy. She discusses how democracy and capitalism are at odds on the subject. Her article surmises key players in the debate including Thurow, Prosser and Dewey. While summarizing the varying views, she concludes that democracy and capitalism have managed to survive and even flourish together for many years and that human capital is a key component in both views.
Summary
Wendy Gilpin believes that capitalism and democracy appear to be the aspiration of “nearly the entire world”. She believes that the capitalist way has lead to a standard of living much higher than that of other economic systems. She further classifies capitalism and democracy as two different forms of social systems. The conundrum lies in the fact that freedom of choice is contrary to the guiding principles of a free market economy. Power is the central component at odds. In a democracy power should be equally distributed, while capitalism doles out power to those who are thriving in the free market. A democracy is based upon the success of an individual and their equal opportunity, while a capitalist believes a successful business is the penultimate benefactor. Unfortunately, corruption occurs as a result of these opposing beliefs. She points to Thurow who once state that the “middle class is dissolving”.

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