Introduction:
Division of Labor is an implementation of Distributed Intelligence; that became even more necessary with the added complexity of civilized settlements. The amount of effort that it took to sustain large settlements demanded many hands to lighten the load. The prospect of distributing resources required that many would be charged with the responsibility of that task for specific resources and goods. The legal right to such resources was then necessary to enable the merchants to adequately serve their function. Those with the responsibility to distribute the resources were in need of representation to do so. This is the functional context of Division of Labor and Property Rights.
In more recent times, disparity has become an issue with both Division of Labor and Property Rights. The job market that emerged during the Industrial Revolution created issues with representation for not only the laborers but the workers in general. The development of the corporate model in the late 19th century resulted in disparity of representation between large and small business. Large businesses eventually gained the resources to enforce their Property Rights on their own; to a large degree.
Distributed Intelligence:
Distributing resources became a much larger job in large settlements. Though Gift Economics is a proto-form of Division of Labor, as the distribution of interest and aptitude effects the manner in which individuals contribute to society, it required a scaling due to changes in resources, settling in one area and producing resources with advancement in agriculture. Those charged with the responsibility of distributing the resources probably faced many issues with fairness, security and even storage. This of course meant that they would be legally represented in all of those tasks.
In modern times, the context has changed; beginning with Divine Right in the dark ages and even Randian Ideology in more recent times. Divine Right was of course of the aristocracy and their subjects. Randian Ideology is based more In the notion of earning through ones actions. This is a favorable ideology on the surface, however it can create problems; where extra effort is applied toward aggregation. This then allows for rationalization of destabilizing the system. This is very common in modernity.
Loss of sight of the context in which Division of Labor and Property Rights were developed has become a large issue in modern societies. The resulting imbalance in economies has created class systems, distributions of homeless citizens and general disparity of representation.
Representation of Needs:
Randian ideology has created an incoherent view of the functional aspects of society. This is because Randian ideology is individualistic. Being represented in a manner that affords allowances for one to meet their social responsibilities is in stark contrast with the notion that particularly hard working individuals are deserving of lions’ shares. This is not however the engine of disparity. It is only the rationalization of it.
The need for various types of security is the essence of biological behavior. It’s not a bad metric for understanding those who will expend more to gain more. Nation states have rather large expenditures for domestic security. So do businesses and various firms. Households also have security expenditures; but it’s not just about planning for malicious actions.
A balanced society seems to require meeting the needs of the individual. Meeting the needs of individuals unconditionally appears to be the best approach for stable economies. This is likely to minimize issues like crime, physical and mental health issues and general, social unrest. The product of conditional representation exacerbates the pathology that drives disparity; allowing the issues to worsen in a multiplicative. Desperation tends to be the emotional driver for unfavorable behaviors. Feeling secure in oneself and ones ability to survive and thrive, and reproduce and care for ones offspring mitigates motivation to behave unfavorably.
The systemic issues with domestic economics that Adam Smith described are also accompanied with mental issues in individuals and society to produce the disparity that we are observing today. Psychopathy and sociopathy are common in big business and governance. This is of course not a favorable outcome; and we seem to have the potential to address it. This is too often blamed on individuals; in the context of original greed, against all available evidence. It’s much more likely that it’s a result of needs not being met. It’s not just the disenfranchised who are suffering from this systemic and social issue. The need for representation of needs is ubiquitous.
Closing:
It takes more than legal representation for those charged with the responsibility to distribute resources; in order for them to do it efficiently and effectively. Their understanding, their physical and mental health, and their own economic security come significantly into play. Where needs are not met unconditionally, there is a tendency toward sociopathy. This is observed.