What the world is reading

James Q Wilson speaks of the flaw in directing Occupy Wall Street anger towards the richthe 98 per cent versus the 1 per cent. As mobility in income brackets is high and the rich are so because of higher education and working spouses,Wilson writes that the solution is in helping the poor,not in denouncing the rich. Making the poor more economically mobile has nothing to do with taxing the rich and everything to do with finding and implementing ways to encourage parental marriage,teach the poor marketable skills and induce them to join the legitimate workforce. It is easy to suppose that raising taxes on the rich would provide more money to help the poor. But the problem facing the poor is not too little money,but too few skills and opportunities to advance themselves, he writes.

Dawn

The fragility of states,the definition

M Zaidi discusses the concept of a fragile state and the lack of a definition which encompasses all the factors which may influence the stability and functioning of an independent state. While the focus of definition has mostly relied on the states capacity to protect the rights of its citizens,reduce poverty and encourage development,Zaidi feels important factors are ignored. Whats lacking is the role of the manner in which political elites settle their differences or how the state interacts with and in turn affects the citizens. Also excluded from this definition is how the capacity,authority and legitimacy of state institutions translates to the society they govern, Zaidi writes.

The Guardian

Smacking repeats the language of violence

Dreda Say Mitchell takes on Tottenham MP David Lammy for his suggestion on the cause of the August 2011 riotsthat a curtailment of corporal punishment has left parents unable to teach their children right from wrong. The if you dont hear,you must feel method is precisely the ethos of the street gang,says Mitchell. Do we really want that kind of mentality brought into families? A smack may well teach that bad behaviour is unacceptable but it also teaches that violence and threats are an effective way of getting the response you want,which does far more harm in the long run. She concluded with putting forward the notion that the most effective parenting or teaching comes from individuals who can command respect,by force of character and example,rather than a box of threats.