A/HRC/31/60 move themselves out of unskilled positions, which can also become a multigenerational trap.21 18. It is also common for poorer segments of the population to be marginalized or even effectively excluded from the political process. As noted by the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, economic and social inequalities often reinforce one another “when individuals with higher incomes or their family members have more political power or access to better education than those with lower incomes”.22 In failing to recognize the connection between social and economic inequalities, there is a risk of political capture of the political system by economic elites, effectively undermining the right to vote and the principle of democracy. 19. Equally significant is that those on the high end of the income and wealth divide become less dependent on public goods and services because they have the means to purchase private alternatives. At the same time, the poor are getting more dependent on public services, as private alternatives become less affordable for them. As soon as the more affluent and powerful groups in society cease to depend on public goods and services, the State is less likely investing in public, collective goods, leading to a vicious circle of their degeneration. 20. Moreover, countries suffering from high levels of inequality have worse health outcomes compared to other countries with a similar gross domestic product (GDP).23 For example, there is a strong positive correlation between rates of child mortality and inequality among countries at similar levels of development. Also, inequality may impair the availability of adequate housing for low-income households.24 21. Inequality often contributes to social exclusion and marginalization of certain groups and individuals. In addition, if inequality entrenches social cleavages along regional, religious, racial or ethnic lines, social instability and violent internal conflict are more frequent.25 It has recently been noted that “[w]hen the poor are from one race, ethnicity, religion or region and the rich are from another, a lethal, destabilizing dynamic often emerges”.26 Inequality not only increases the risk of economic and social rights violations, but also augments the likelihood of severe violations of civil and political rights. 27 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 For more information on the negative effect of income inequality on the right to education, see the report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights (A/HRC/29/31, para. 30). Ibid., para. 6. See R. Wilkinson and K. Pickett, The Spirit Level: Why More Equality Societies Almost Always Do Better (New York, Bloomsbury Press, 2009). See J. Matlack and J. Vigor, “Do rising tides lift all prices? Income inequality and housing affordability”, Journal of Housing Economics, vol. 17, No. 3 (2008), pp. 212-224. See L.E. Cederman, N.B. Weidmann and K. Skrede Gleditsch, “Horizontal inequalities and ethnonationalist civil war: a global comparison”, American Political Science Review, vol. 105, No. 3 (2011), pp. 487-89. See M.W. Doyle and J.E. Stiglitz, “Eliminating extreme inequality: a sustainable development goal, 2015-2030”, Ethics and International Affairs, vol. 28, No. 1 (2014). See T. Landman and M. Larizza, “Inequality and human rights: who controls what, when, and how”, International Studies Quarterly, vol. 53, No. 3 (2009), pp. 715-736. 7