Keith Hudson replied to my post about the changing world of work by commenting on his Nepalese experience of people carrying water and food over long distances to provide for their survival.
I could say lots about this, but will choose just one anecdote. Some may know that economic terms such as Gross Domestic Product now have international meanings and that government statisticians meet regularly to decide what these things will mean, and how their meaning will change. Just such a meeting took place about 20 years ago (they happen more regularly than that - I am just choosing one example). At this particular meeting they debated long and hard just which forms of activity would be included in GDP (to give an example, making your own bed is not included, but a housekeeper making a bed in a hotel or a hospital is included). After much debate they decided to add to new activities to the list - carting wood and carrying water. >From that date on, anyone doing these things would be counted as being engaged in an economic activity which would be counted in the country's GDP. Why you might ask? Well, at the time countries like Nigeria were hugely in debt to the west, and the economists were noticing the percentage of their GDP which was taken up in paying debt (just ask yourself how your household would function if you paid 50% of your income in debt repayments). In one simple step the statisticians solved this problem. By including wood and water carting in GDP they increased the GDP of Nigeria by almost 50% and they became a good credit risk again. Just who benefited might be an interesting question. This is very relevant to our current discussion, because it points out that everywhere in the world there is work which needs to be done - and highlights how ineffective it is to have one international set of rules and regulations for measuring how effectively or efficiently it is done. If we are ever to make a better world of work, it will require us to create systems which are more responsive at local levels, while still being relevant on a global scale. Charles Brass Chairman the futures foundation PO Box 122 Fairfield 3078 Australia phone 61 3 9459 0244 the mission of the futures foundation is "...to engage all Australians in creating a better future..." _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
