Busting the development myth

Rajesh Gill

Jan 21 2015 

The recent Human Development Report, 2014 maintains that India needs to address multidimensional poverty. India also occupies one of the lowest places in terms of population in vulnerable employment.HUMAN Development Report (HDR) 2014, which was released recently has raised pertinent issues. According to the report, despite human and social development exhibited by almost all the countries of the world, large proportions of populations remain vulnerable to natural disasters and ecological hazards. It demonstrates that despite development, rise in per capita incomes, increase in school enrolment, decline in maternal and infant mortality and reduction in poverty levels in most of the countries of the world during the last decade, huge proportions of populations still remain most vulnerable. 

The capacity to take risks and confront natural disasters remains extremely skewed, depending upon the physical and economic capacities of people. It goes to the extent of negating any connection between poverty reduction and vulnerability. It introduces human vulnerability “to describe the prospects of eroding people's capabilities and choices.” Further, it ascribes the systemic genesis of such human vulnerability to various structural factors and argues that this human vulnerability can be reduced by fostering “human resilience”, i.e. ensuring that “people's choices are robust, now and in the future, and enabling people to cope and adjust to adverse events.” Human resilience removes the barriers that hold people back in their freedom to act and empowers those socially excluded in making themselves visible and heard.

Where does India stand? 

India is ranked 135th among 187 countries on the Human Development Index as per 2013 data. India shares with Pakistan 127th position on the Gender Inequality Index (GII) out of 149 countries, while Nepal is 98th and Bangladesh 115th. India is one amongst the lowest placed countries in Female Labour Force Participation at only 28.8 per cent, in 2012. 

Interestingly, certain countries high on HDI are pushed to lower ranks on GII (United States 5:47; Norway 1:9; Australia 2:19; Canada 8:23 and New Zealand 7:34), indicating a disconnect between human development in general and gender inequality in particular. 

India has been further pushed down in its ranking on Gender Development Index (GDI), to 132nd place as per 2013 data. Interestingly again, some highest placed countries on HDI, are pushed down on GDI, i.e. Switzerland 3:76; Netherlands 4:51; Germany 6:61, New Zealand 7:47; Canada 8:24 and Republic of Korea 15:85. Conversely, Argentina at 49th rank on HDI enjoys second rank on GDI. Similarly, Hungary at 43rd rank in HDI is placed at 4th rank in GDI. These statistics refute that human development automatically results in gender equality.

Multidimensional poverty

About 2.2 billion people, amounting to 15 per cent of the total population, still happen to be near or living in multidimensional poverty across the globe. About 75 per cent of the world's poor live in rural areas and agricultural workers tend to reel under extreme kinds of poverty, mainly due to dwindling agricultural returns and declining productivity. 1.2 billion, i.e. 22 per cent of the world's population survive on less than $1.25 a day. In South Asia, 44.4 per cent, i.e. 730 million of the population live on $1.25 to $2.50 a day. Moreover, a high proportion of population in this region survives on the threshold of poverty, i.e. they can fall into poverty any time. 

Nearly 80 per cent of the global population lacks social protection, thus exposing it to vulnerability. About 12 per cent (842 million) suffer from chronic hunger and nearly half of the workers, i.e. 1.5 billion are in informal or precarious employment. India needs to address multidimensional poverty in view of its unenviable position. India also occupies one of the lowest places in terms of population in vulnerable employment at 80.8 per cent.

Who are more vulnerable?

Highlighting the differential vulnerability within populations, the report reveals that women all over the world are more vulnerable than men, due to the unsafe environment and patriarchal structural patterns. 

Further, vulnerability varies with age, that is, children and older people are more vulnerable in comparison to other age groups. An increasing incidence of trafficking in children, both male and female, makes this age group extremely vulnerable. Worldwide, 46 per cent people above 60 years of age suffer from some kind of disability. Further, the population of obese people extremely vulnerable to ill health is projected to double in 2030 (1.12 billion) in comparison to 2008 (0.5 billion). Poor households continue as most vulnerable, threatened by natural disasters, frequent illnesses, loss of employment, epidemics, riots, and so on. Multiple vulnerabilities increase chances of failure to confront life crises. 

While India's HDI (2013) value is 586, it drops down to .418 on Inequality Adjusted HDI. Similarly, there is a gap of .108 in the male and female HDI value in India, one amongst the largest gender gaps. Inequality and social exclusion apart from poverty have to be urgently addressed by India with the aim of enhancing human resilience so that the vulnerability of its people gets reduced. Currently, at education expenditure of 3.3 per cent of the GDP, India shall have to emulate the most developed countries with around 6-7 per cent of this expenditure.

The HDR 2014 throws numerous issues to policy makers and academicians to ponder over. It not only proposes strategies, it clearly states that such policies can work only if there is a proper implementation, apart from a system of good governance. 

The important message is that empirical evidence has shown that human development is negatively associated with inequalities. Secondly, having a bulky young population by itself does not become an asset; it has to be empowered by building its capabilities and resilience. While structural barriers to such resilience need to be broken, institutional systems which enhance the capabilities and freedom of people universally, need to be built up. India, which is so far the “largest” democracy, must learn its lessons in its endeavour to become the “greatest” democracy. 

The writer is Professor at Department of Sociology, 

Panjab University, Chandigarh.