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Chapter 4: Good Things Don’t Always Come Together. Empowerment, Equity and Sustainability Democracy and Equity Effects of Inequality Vulnerability. Political Freedom and HDI. Empowerment. Empowerment is an increase in people’s ability to bring about change.
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Chapter 4: Good Things Don’t Always Come Together • Empowerment, Equity and Sustainability • Democracy and Equity • Effects of Inequality • Vulnerability
Empowerment • Empowerment is an increase in people’s ability to bring about change. • It emphasizes the ability of individuals and groups to engage with, shape and benefit from political and other development processes in households, communities and countries. • It strengthens people’s ability to make informed choices and hold governments accountable.
Expectations, Technology and Globalization • People’s expectation has changed over time due to • Internet and cell-phones • Radio and Televisions • Globalization
Effects of Democratization • Improved the standings of previously marginalized and disadvantaged groups, particularly women and indigenous people. • In general, it had led to more accountable governments and better delivery of social services e.g. education and health. 3. However, there is no significant effect of democracy on growth.
Inequality • Lower inequality in income is associated with higher HDI. • Over last twenty years income inequality within countries has been growing due to number of reasons: • Skill-biased technological changes: New technologies favor skilled workers over unskilled ones. • Financial wealth is highly concentrated. • Labor market changes: Decline in the power of unions, erosion of minimum wage • Changes in tax laws: particularly lowering of income tax and favorable treatment to earnings from capital
Consequences of Income Inequality • Income inequality may lead to unequal access to public services such as education and health. • This unequal access to education and health would lead to increased income inequality in future. • Rising income inequality may also undermine empowerment of poor people as elite can capture most of the political, social, and economic benefits.
Gender Disparities Indicators of gender disparities: • Sex-Ratio: In many countries, most notably in China sex-ratio is moving against women. • Disempowerment within family: Domestic violence, Lower educational and nutritional status. • Disempowerment within society: Lack of ownership of property, disparity in employment and earnings opportunities, low representation in political institutions
Vulnerability and Sustainability • Vulnerability is associated with the possibility of decline in human development. • Countries and people are vulnerable when their human development is threatened by various risks. • These risks can arise in many ways: economic crisis, natural disasters (flood, famine, earthquakes etc.), illnesses and accidents.
Sustainability • Sustainability implies that improvement in human development can be sustained. • Sustainable development is a progress that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. • Climate change (global warming, environmental degradation) has emerged as the biggest threat to the sustainability of development.
