‘Talking about culture, cultural and societal difference is a luxury. An empty stomach gives short shrift to these considerations’. These were the concluding remarks of a conversation I was having with a dear friend and colleague of mine. My friend- a highly intelligent, urbane and sensitive guy-had a very valid point. It has a resonance in the world at large and the subcontinent in particular. Hunger, deprivation and poverty eviscerate the finer and higher sensibilities of men/women. This constitutes a tragedy and a travesty. The ultimate goal and aim for humans should, besides being one with the Creator and Creation, should be self and societal improvement. This can happen only when the basic needs of a person or peoples are met.
To take recourse to organizational theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs must be met and satisfied. Maslow built and developed a hierarchy of needs at the base of which was the very human need for food and shelter. The rest followed. The question is how can this condition or state of affairs be brought about?
I am no economist and development economists have been grappling with this question for decades if not more. What I have to offer are a set of observations based on my very sparse understanding of economics, political economy and political theory.
The way to provide a decent living standard for peoples constituting states, nations and the world at large may be to re-align the state in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the people. This naturally means good governance.(I am not going into the polemic over the nature of good governance. Suffice it to say that good governance should mean responsive and responsible governance). The premise behind good governance should and must be human security wherein the state or states reorient their thrust and focus on the dignity and welfare of their people. This must be complemented by a role for the markets. The state and the markets should neither be competing with each other nor work at cross purposes with each other. They should be aligned and in sync.
The state should provide an enabling environment; and the markets should be allowed to work within a reasonable regulatory framework. The delicate balance must be crafted in a way that is no room or scope for either ‘market failure’ or state failure. If this is too ideal a state, then the balance should be designed in a way where one compensates for the failings of the other.
Once the state gets this right, it should find for itself a niche in the global economy and get integrated into the sinews of globalization and the global economy. Autarky and import substitution –the mantras of the socialist model preferred by the erstwhile decolonized- must give way to an open or a mixed economy paradigm. The trajectory of the Asian Tigers is a classic example of this even though their economic model was premised on export led growth which naturally encounters diminishing returns. A small city state like Singapore or a state like Taiwan owes its success to this.
Once a reoriented, welfare enhancing and well governed state is in place, the political system of the state(s) should be aligned to democracy and pluralism. In this schema, people must be given a voice and each voice must be heard and respected, human rights should inform the thrust of the state and be elevated onto a pedestal and minorities should be treated as coeval with the majority. In sum, the state should be informed by a commitment to freedom.
This should be complemented by imparting vigour and dynamism into International organizations and global governance. The efforts of states should be aligned with that of international institutions and the famous mantra, trade not aid’ should be accorded substance and imparted impetus and momentum. Here the developed North may have to go the extra mile to be generous and open their markets to exports of the South and not subsidize their farming lobbies, for instance. Free® trade should be made real and substantive.
This is a very reductive and rough template of what could be done to resolve the problem of poverty and deprivation. Cumulatively and in combination, a dedicated focus on the prescriptions identified here may lead to a more prosperous and peaceful world. The problem of poverty while it will never be eradicated completely may be resolved to a large extent and people can then devote themselves to culture, the arts and other finer and higher aspects of life. It is then I can have a conversation with my friend without being out argued by a very valid point.
No comments:
Post a Comment