Mike Gurstein:
>Without presuming to speak for Tamojit Dutta, I read the post that I
>forwarded as offering the very interesting notion of "entitlement" as a
>sort of "shorthand" way of getting at issues of democratic rights,
>and administrative and even political accountability.
>
>In Canada and in most developed countries, with citizenship goes certain
>"rights/entitlements". The specifics of these vary and may be argued but
>the overall framework is seldom completely in doubt. These entitlements
>are a "call" on the "commonweal".
>
>Dutta following Sen suggests that in developing countries this framework
>of "entitlement" is absent.
>Perhaps, it is being suggested, one way of getting around this
>difficulty/complexity is to, just by fiat grant an "entitlement"...to a
>basic income, shelter, education, a job...whatever. Once granted, such
>an "entitlement" and enforcing, fostering and promoting it may
>become the base for the development of broader civil society
>institutions, not to mention the contribution which such an entitlement
>might make directly to the wellbeing of the poor in certain developing
>countries.
>
>Advocacy for this strategy using its programs and good offices, Dutta is
>further suggesting, may be an appropriate role for the UNDP to consider in
>the context of its current self-examination.
>
Mike,
I have no problem with this in concept, but I see all kinds of problems of
implementation. Brazilians are "entitled" by legislation and perhaps
constitutionally to free education (including university), free health
services, income support and probably other things. The problem is to try
to access these things. When I did my month in the slums of Sao Paulo last
November, the attitude I encountered most frequently was one of "Yes, yes,
we know those things are supposed to exist, but if they do, getting them is
so difficult that it isn't worth the bother."
For example, while education itself is free, there are many costs around
sending a kid to school that poor parents simply cannot afford, so by about
grade three or four the kid has dropped out.
Could the UNDP go somewhat further than simply promoting "entitlement" and
work with governments to ensure that the means for exercising entitlement
are put in place?
Ed Weick
