Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System

An Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System is an economic belief system that is a hierarchy-enforcing belief system that systematically promotes, maintains, and legitimizes economic inequality, class structures, and unequal resource distribution among individuals or social groups.

• AKA: Economic Stratification Ideology, Wealth Hierarchy Doctrine.
• Context:
  • It can typically justify Economic Inequality through economic hierarchy-enforcing narratives about merit, effort, and market efficiency.
  • It can typically preserve Wealth Concentration through economic hierarchy-enforcing mechanisms that protect accumulated capital.
  • It can typically maintain Class Divisions through economic hierarchy-enforcing social arrangements and institutional practices.
  • It can typically limit Social Mobility through economic hierarchy-enforcing barriers to opportunity and advancement.
  • It can typically rationalize Unequal Resource Access through economic hierarchy-enforcing explanations based on supposed competence.
  • ...
  • It can often support Exploitative Labor Practices through economic hierarchy-enforcing systems that prioritize profit over worker wellbeing.
  • It can often oppose Wealth Redistribution through economic hierarchy-enforcing arguments against taxation and social programs.
  • It can often conceal Systemic Disadvantages through economic hierarchy-enforcing rhetoric about personal responsibility.
  • It can often promote Economic Competition over cooperation through economic hierarchy-enforcing values that reward individual gain.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Subtle Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System to being an Explicit Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System, depending on its transparency of purpose.
  • It can range from being a Limited Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System to being a Comprehensive Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System, depending on its domain coverage.
  • It can range from being a Moderate Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System to being an Extreme Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System, depending on its inequality tolerance.
  • ...
  • It can have Meritocracy Myths as economic hierarchy-enforcing justifications for wealth disparity.
  • It can have Bootstrap Narratives as economic hierarchy-enforcing principles that individualize success and failure.
  • It can have Market Fundamentalism as an economic hierarchy-enforcing framework for resource allocation.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System Types, such as:
    • Historical Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief Systems, such as:
      • Feudal Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System for land-based stratification.
      • Mercantilist Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System for colonial extraction.
      • Industrial Capitalist Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System for labor exploitation.
    • Contemporary Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief Systems, such as:
      • Neoliberal Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System for market deregulation.
      • Plutocratic Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System for wealth-based governance.
      • Financialized Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System for capital accumulation.
  • Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System Manifestations, such as:
    • Regional Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief Systems, such as:
      • Global North Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System for international dominance.
      • Corporate Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System for shareholder primacy.
    • Sectoral Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief Systems, such as:
      • Financial Sector Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System for wealth extraction.
      • Real Estate Economic Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System for property-based stratification.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Economic Egalitarian Belief System, which promotes equal resource access rather than economic stratification.
  • Commons-Based Resource System, which prioritizes shared ownership over private accumulation.
  • Cooperative Economic Model, which emphasizes democratic control instead of hierarchical management.
  • Solidarity Economy Framework, which centers mutual aid rather than competition and inequality.
  • Economic Democracy System, which distributes decision-making power instead of concentrating economic control.
• See: Hierarchy-Enforcing Belief System, Class Structure, Capitalism, Economic Inequality, Wealth Concentration, Socioeconomic Status System, Power Structure.

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