As Andy Sumner has stated in his article of 26th May, 2009 “Rethinking Development Policy 2015”, the MDGs are viewed as a set of indicators for guiding poverty reduction and for holding international agencies and governments accountable to citizens. The MDGs have served their purpose very well particularly since they allow for measuring progress and Governments prepare their Country Reports from time to time which are available in the public domain and are open to comment, criticism and suggestions. The MDG-plus agenda may continue to focus on the universal indicators as already adopted. States have the freedom to add more indicators or elaborate on the MDGs as per their own situation. There is really no need therefore to make the MDGs more elaborate.
The MDG agenda is relevant across countries and societies and should continue to address issues of global development rather than only the “bottom billion”. As has been mentioned in the paper, poverty is also an issue of perception. Even in developed societies there are people at the bottom of the ladder who perceive themselves and are perceived within their own countries to be very poor when they compare their situation with their own compatriots rather than people in other countries of the world, who may be much poorer in comparative terms. These people also need attention and support by their country governments. Donor agencies and donor countries could however focus their attention on the “bottom billion”, as these are people most in need of assistance.
It must be added however that the issues of material deprivation have to be addressed alongside those of human development. For example, basic needs of nutrition, clean water, safe housing and electricity have to be met while ensuring that there is investment in the human resource through education and skill development so that people are equipped to earn a reasonable living rather than being overly dependent on social security nets provided by the State. In this short paper, I will be addressing the issue of skill development – teaching people to fish rather than giving them a meal of fish everyday.
We need to focus on the development of an enabling environment for improved incomes through the MDG–plus agenda. In the rural areas, poverty is mainly due to small land holdings that do not yield enough to sustain the owner and his/her family round the year, lack of work round the year for agricultural labourers and lack of work opportunities for persons who lack skills. Even in the urban areas, there is lack of work for unskilled persons.
The consequences of lack of work can be quite terrible. Disaffected youth who may be illiterate, semi-literate or may even have studied up to school level may not have the requisite skills to be employable in the market place. Deprivation of opportunity to earn leads to petty crime, criminalization and even militancy in many areas. This has a deleterious effect on quality of life, slows economic activity and may drive many more families into the downward spiral of poverty.
Hence, while Governments are focusing on wage employment programmes particularly in the rural areas (as in India) and these are targeted at persons who are willing to take up the most basic task of earthwork that requires only basic tools and no skill whatsoever, these only address the needs of those who are willing or able to perform such work, while many others who would also like to work and earn some money are left out. Women who are prevented from going out of the home for such work on account of cultural taboos also suffer. Moreover, there is a huge cost to providing guaranteed employment through such work in areas where the population is humungous, poverty levels are high and demand for such employment is huge. While such social security nets are desirable, as they protect populations from hunger and malnutrition during periods of distress, in the long-term spending a proportionate amount of the cost of the social security net, provided through the employment guarantee schemes, for developing skills related to work opportunities in the area can help pull people out of poverty and also lead to lowering expenditure on employment guarantee programmes.
Many examples come to mind. In urban areas, even when young people have completed their schooling or are at least literate they may still not be employable. Employability can be significantly improved through investments in skills such as:
- English speaking
- Basic IT
- Salesmanship
Even though there is mass production of goods going on in a country like India, there is lots of opportunity for people skilled in tailoring, embroidery, and handicrafts. Skills such as barbering, beauty care etc. will always be in demand. In the urban areas such skills could be imparted through a vast expansion of the facilities available for training in such skills. Short duration intensive programmes could be run for such activities and reasonable fees levied. If people see value in a training or skill development course they are willing to invest their time and money in going through the same. Charging fees also imparts value to the programme from the perspective of the trainee.
In rural areas, with the expansion of economic activity there is again huge demand for skilled persons such as masons, carpenters, electricians, mechanics for repair of electrical and electronic goods, etc. Skill development in food preservation, value addition and packaging can also enable people in rural areas (where organic foods and spices are produced) to market these with good returns. Similarly, artisan related skills such as weaving, producing local artefacts with guidance on improving designs and marketability can involve more people in the trade. Areas where tourism is developing can be the focus for developing skills related to this activity. These could relate to tourist guides, local cuisine, eateries, local artefacts and handicrafts, etc.
To enable expanded economic activity that can reduce poverty, it is necessary to develop, both in urban and rural areas, spaces where people with such newly developed skills can market their goods and services.
Hence, for the MDG-plus agenda a vital measure of progress should be the coverage of a targeted proportion of the population below the poverty line through skill development programmes and extension of allied support, where necessary, for toolkits, access to credit and marketing facilities. Since the situation may vary across countries perhaps the targets could be negotiated in a country specific manner rather than as a universalised figure.
Hence, for the MDG-plus agenda a vital measure of progress should be the coverage of a targeted proportion of the population below the poverty line through skill development programmes and extension of allied support, where necessary, for toolkits, access to credit and marketing facilities. Since the situation may vary across countries perhaps the targets could be negotiated in a country specific manner rather than as a universalised figure.