Conn. inequality compared to Bangkok in “The Great Divide” series

International media outlet and NPR partner GlobalPost is doing a series on income inequality around the world called “The Great Divide”, and they’ve just released a print story and video comparing inequality in Connecticut and in Bangkok. Both areas have similar GINI index scores. (Here’s a Conn. State Data Center map of GINI scores across the country and comparing them internationally, and here’s one looking at the scores withing Conn. cities and towns). Check out this GlobalPost video about Connectictut and Bangkok:

The GlobalPost print story describes the impact that the ending of county governments had on increasing economic disparity. The reporters spoke with Bridgeport resident (and sometime mayoral candidate) Jeff Kohut:

“In Connecticut, this process was supercharged when, in 1960, the suburban interests succeeded in changing the state constitution to abolish Connecticut’s eight county governments, eliminating any hope that the affluence surrounding Bridgeport or other struggling cities could be harnessed for redevelopment. Bridgeport natives like Kohut view this as a betrayal. The migration of more prosperous residents that fed the growth of neighboring towns like Stratford, Trumbull and Fairfield — ‘colonies of Bridgeport, if you will,’ says Kohut — encouraged a selfishness that exacerbated his hometown’s decline.”

The companion print story about Bangkok is online here.