Read a very interesting article today on economic and social development. The general point was about the need for a society to actively ensure both economic and social development. We are experiencing a lot of economic changes in our society - how well we face these changes depends on the adaptability of our population. I.e. we need skilled, smart, talented people. Those types of people don't just happen - they are made when a society pays attention to social development, especially wealth redistribution. Unfortunately, during this time of economic change there has also been huge slashes in social services and a widening gap between the rich and the poor. No nation can hope to continue to prosper while leaving it's social development floundering (sorry, Fraser Institute).
Here are my thoughts: Canada is starting to get it's act together and reinvest, so we may yet do okay (Manitoba is one of the best provinces, IMHO, for realizing these realities and planning for them). Great Britain is as well. Many European nations never lost it.
The US is on it's way down. It's has the highest incarceration rate of any developed country. It's social services are residual and it's income gap is the largest. It has the most rich people, it also has the most poor people. Because it is not investing in it's own people, it can't sustain itself. It will not remain "the" world power. It will eventually have so many poor, needy people that it will no longer have the capacity to prosper economically.
Here's a quote.
Daniel P. Keating & J. F. Mustard (1993): "we need also to recognize the social necessity of enhancing the development of competence throughout the population. Our future economic prosperity depends on our ability to participate actively in technical innovation, which in turn relies on the diversity of talent the society has available. Failure to invest in families with children thus has potential costs to society in the form of less healthy and more poorly functioning adults. Adequate support, in contrast, not only reduces those burdens but also sharply improves the prospects for future economic growth. "
Here are my thoughts: Canada is starting to get it's act together and reinvest, so we may yet do okay (Manitoba is one of the best provinces, IMHO, for realizing these realities and planning for them). Great Britain is as well. Many European nations never lost it.
The US is on it's way down. It's has the highest incarceration rate of any developed country. It's social services are residual and it's income gap is the largest. It has the most rich people, it also has the most poor people. Because it is not investing in it's own people, it can't sustain itself. It will not remain "the" world power. It will eventually have so many poor, needy people that it will no longer have the capacity to prosper economically.
Here's a quote.
Daniel P. Keating & J. F. Mustard (1993): "we need also to recognize the social necessity of enhancing the development of competence throughout the population. Our future economic prosperity depends on our ability to participate actively in technical innovation, which in turn relies on the diversity of talent the society has available. Failure to invest in families with children thus has potential costs to society in the form of less healthy and more poorly functioning adults. Adequate support, in contrast, not only reduces those burdens but also sharply improves the prospects for future economic growth. "
posted by Jude | 11:18 PM
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