How did Balch connect economics and social justice?
My approach was to ground economic analysis in lived experience. I believed that abstract economic theories were insufficient without understanding their human impact. By examining census data, wage differentials, and the social conditions of working classes, especially immigrant laborers, I sought to reveal the structural inequalities that perpetuated poverty and hardship. For me, economic policy had to be judged by its contribution to the well-being of all members of society, not just by its abstract efficiency. This perspective fueled my work on social welfare and the causes of conflict.
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