Social Equity in MDGs
The paper strongly advocates social equity approach to achieve MDGs mainly drawing theoretical base from recent development literature. This is as true of the innovations led by Amartya Sen and followed by UNDP and many others, which moved away from a focus purely on material or commodity to incorporate wider perspectives of human well-being
Equality and Justice are fundamental principle underlined in the UN Millennium Declaration, where about 190 heads of state and representatives of the Government declared and adopted the time bound goals for combating extreme poverty and hunger. On the basis of the principle, the Declaration further outlines set of inter-connected and mutually reinforcing goals, which include eight broad global agenda of human development popularly known as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). After 5 years the progress reports on MDGs often looked at national level.
But the achievement in MDGs Indictors significantly varies within countries are as stark as the variation or gap between countries. These gaps reflect inequality in opportunity – people held back because of their gender, group identity (race, caste ethnicity and religion etc.). Such inequalities are unjust (HDR 2005).
The paper on “Social Inequality in MDGs: unequal progress and persisting disparity among social groups in India” recently presented at the International Multidisciplinary Conference on Equality and Social Inclusion in the 21st Century: Developing Alternatives 1st - 3rd February 2006, Belfast, Northern Ireland tries to address important of social equity in achieving MDGs along with emerging evidences from India.
The paper strongly advocates social equity approach to achieve MDGs mainly drawing theoretical base from recent development literature. This is as true of the innovations led by Amartya Sen and followed by UNDP and many others, which moved away from a focus purely on material or commodity to incorporate wider perspectives of human well-being e.g. education, health and human rights etc.
Thus, development is today seen as people-oriented and viewed as a process that encourages the expansion of people's capabilities, an enhancement of freedoms and human rights and recognition of participation - popularly known as human development (UNDP 1990). Inequalities of power and wealth result in waste and inefficient use of productive resources, and impair institutional development. Equity makes a convincing case for and as the guiding principle of development. Equity denotes equality of opportunities to pursue a life of one's choice and protection from extreme deprivation. In this sense, equity is complementary to long-term prosperity. (Human Development Report 2005 and World Development Report 2006). Moreover, Indian economy as a caste economy and characterized by essential features of economic organization of the caste system through unequal and hierarchal ordering of castes in term of economic rights (Thorat and Despande 2002).
The manner in which the caste based customary rules related to economic rights were devised, the caste located at the top of the caste order, namely the Brahmin have overwhelming rights and the untouchable (dalits) who are placed at the bottom of the caste hierarchy had no choice except to serve the high caste as resulted high poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and landlessness.
Thus the unique economic features of the system continuing relevance and should be important tool or policy modeling to address poverty reduction and social justice. The paper presents about ten indicators related to MDGs for different social groups in . The result related to goal 1 poverty and hunger indicates that at the all level, the poverty level for SCs, and the STs was 37% and 45% respectively; this was much higher than the Non SC/STs (20%). The prevalence of hunger also highest for the SCs and the STs than that of other communities. More than half children belongs to the SCs and the STs are undernursihed (54% for SCs and 56% for STs) and about 44% of children belongs to other communities are undernurshied. Goal 2 Education: This goal has been measured by the literacy rate and gross enrolment rate.
According to Census 2001, the literacy among SCs and STs are lower than others. Again only half population belongs to SCs and STs are literate than about 70% of population literate belongs to others. In case of enrolment there was little higher for SCs than compare to others. Its may be due to admitting children in older age or failure/repeat in same class etc. Goal 3 Gender:
The gender inequality again is server among the SCs and the STs than compare to other communities in . For instance, the gender gap in literacy rate was 23% points for SCs, 24% points for STs and 20% points for others. Hence, the women belong to SCs and the STs suffer both caste and gender burden while the other women suffer burden of gender only. Goal 4 & 5 Child and Maternal Health: These two goals have been measured by indicators such as Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) which is defines on the basis of the number of children per 1000 children dying before their first year of birth. Under-five Mortality Rate and safe deliveries.
According to NFHS-II, The levels of IMR for the SCs at All India level was about 83 per thousand live births and for the STs was 84 which was considerably higher than for the Non SC/STs (68 per thousand). The Under five mortally rate also highest among SCs and STs when compared with the Non SC/STs, varied from a much higher level of about 127 per 1000 for the STs, 119 per 1000 for SCs to only about 92 per 1000 for others.
The situation was also similar in case of maternal health. The proportion of safe deliveries and medical assistance during delivery and vaccination of mothers are important indicators of maternal health. Accordingly, the proportion of intuitional deliveries was about only 17% for the STs and 27% for the SCs and 40% of for Non-SCs/STs. In case of medical assistance during delivery, it was about 23% for the STs and 37% for the SCs and higher rate of 47% for others.
Goal 7 Environmental sustainability: The indictors to measure this goal are proportion of households have access to basic amenities such as safe drinking water, electricity and sanitation. In 2001, at all- level, about 80% of the SCs and Non-SCs/STs households the have access to safe water and only 62% the STs households have access. However, there was significant variation in access to electricity and station facility across social groups. While 60% of households belongs to Non-SCs/STs have electrify and only about 40% of the SCs and the STs households have this facility.
In case of access in using toilet facility, the proportion of households have access to toilet facility was high about 43% for others than compare to lower level of access for the SCs and the STs were 24% and 17% only. There was improvement in MDGs indicators among all the social groups but significant inequality in progress during the period 1990 and 2000. The progress was relatively higher for others (Non-SCs/STs) then as compared with the SCS/STs (except in literacy indicator) results persisting disparity between SCs and others and between STs and others.
In this context, the paper find that rate of progress between 1990 and 2000 was not high enough to bridge the gap, which indeed has the focus and objective of the public policies towards the SCs/STs in India . The paper strongly advocates social equity approach to achieve MDGs focusing public policies which protect dalits civil and human rights and promote social inclusion. See power point presentation for details of data analysis.
Source: S. Venkatesan,
(OneWorld South Asia) Delhi
But the achievement in MDGs Indictors significantly varies within countries are as stark as the variation or gap between countries. These gaps reflect inequality in opportunity – people held back because of their gender, group identity (race, caste ethnicity and religion etc.). Such inequalities are unjust (HDR 2005).
The paper on “Social Inequality in MDGs: unequal progress and persisting disparity among social groups in India” recently presented at the International Multidisciplinary Conference on Equality and Social Inclusion in the 21st Century: Developing Alternatives 1st - 3rd February 2006, Belfast, Northern Ireland tries to address important of social equity in achieving MDGs along with emerging evidences from India.
The paper strongly advocates social equity approach to achieve MDGs mainly drawing theoretical base from recent development literature. This is as true of the innovations led by Amartya Sen and followed by UNDP and many others, which moved away from a focus purely on material or commodity to incorporate wider perspectives of human well-being e.g. education, health and human rights etc.
Thus, development is today seen as people-oriented and viewed as a process that encourages the expansion of people's capabilities, an enhancement of freedoms and human rights and recognition of participation - popularly known as human development (UNDP 1990). Inequalities of power and wealth result in waste and inefficient use of productive resources, and impair institutional development. Equity makes a convincing case for and as the guiding principle of development. Equity denotes equality of opportunities to pursue a life of one's choice and protection from extreme deprivation. In this sense, equity is complementary to long-term prosperity. (Human Development Report 2005 and World Development Report 2006). Moreover, Indian economy as a caste economy and characterized by essential features of economic organization of the caste system through unequal and hierarchal ordering of castes in term of economic rights (Thorat and Despande 2002).
The manner in which the caste based customary rules related to economic rights were devised, the caste located at the top of the caste order, namely the Brahmin have overwhelming rights and the untouchable (dalits) who are placed at the bottom of the caste hierarchy had no choice except to serve the high caste as resulted high poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and landlessness.
Thus the unique economic features of the system continuing relevance and should be important tool or policy modeling to address poverty reduction and social justice. The paper presents about ten indicators related to MDGs for different social groups in . The result related to goal 1 poverty and hunger indicates that at the all level, the poverty level for SCs, and the STs was 37% and 45% respectively; this was much higher than the Non SC/STs (20%). The prevalence of hunger also highest for the SCs and the STs than that of other communities. More than half children belongs to the SCs and the STs are undernursihed (54% for SCs and 56% for STs) and about 44% of children belongs to other communities are undernurshied. Goal 2 Education: This goal has been measured by the literacy rate and gross enrolment rate.
According to Census 2001, the literacy among SCs and STs are lower than others. Again only half population belongs to SCs and STs are literate than about 70% of population literate belongs to others. In case of enrolment there was little higher for SCs than compare to others. Its may be due to admitting children in older age or failure/repeat in same class etc. Goal 3 Gender:
The gender inequality again is server among the SCs and the STs than compare to other communities in . For instance, the gender gap in literacy rate was 23% points for SCs, 24% points for STs and 20% points for others. Hence, the women belong to SCs and the STs suffer both caste and gender burden while the other women suffer burden of gender only. Goal 4 & 5 Child and Maternal Health: These two goals have been measured by indicators such as Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) which is defines on the basis of the number of children per 1000 children dying before their first year of birth. Under-five Mortality Rate and safe deliveries.
According to NFHS-II, The levels of IMR for the SCs at All India level was about 83 per thousand live births and for the STs was 84 which was considerably higher than for the Non SC/STs (68 per thousand). The Under five mortally rate also highest among SCs and STs when compared with the Non SC/STs, varied from a much higher level of about 127 per 1000 for the STs, 119 per 1000 for SCs to only about 92 per 1000 for others.
The situation was also similar in case of maternal health. The proportion of safe deliveries and medical assistance during delivery and vaccination of mothers are important indicators of maternal health. Accordingly, the proportion of intuitional deliveries was about only 17% for the STs and 27% for the SCs and 40% of for Non-SCs/STs. In case of medical assistance during delivery, it was about 23% for the STs and 37% for the SCs and higher rate of 47% for others.
Goal 7 Environmental sustainability: The indictors to measure this goal are proportion of households have access to basic amenities such as safe drinking water, electricity and sanitation. In 2001, at all- level, about 80% of the SCs and Non-SCs/STs households the have access to safe water and only 62% the STs households have access. However, there was significant variation in access to electricity and station facility across social groups. While 60% of households belongs to Non-SCs/STs have electrify and only about 40% of the SCs and the STs households have this facility.
In case of access in using toilet facility, the proportion of households have access to toilet facility was high about 43% for others than compare to lower level of access for the SCs and the STs were 24% and 17% only. There was improvement in MDGs indicators among all the social groups but significant inequality in progress during the period 1990 and 2000. The progress was relatively higher for others (Non-SCs/STs) then as compared with the SCS/STs (except in literacy indicator) results persisting disparity between SCs and others and between STs and others.
In this context, the paper find that rate of progress between 1990 and 2000 was not high enough to bridge the gap, which indeed has the focus and objective of the public policies towards the SCs/STs in India . The paper strongly advocates social equity approach to achieve MDGs focusing public policies which protect dalits civil and human rights and promote social inclusion. See power point presentation for details of data analysis.
Source: S. Venkatesan,
(OneWorld South Asia) Delhi