To determine which one of South Africa, United States and India is the most democratic country, it is necessary to highlight the socio-economic inequalities that prevail in these countries and cross compare how their respective governments are dealing with these issues. As Abrahamsen says (2000:138), “Democratic practices are never perfect” and it is by this means that one cannot look at the end outcome of a socio-economic reform but must rather look at the intent of the of the policy because to the realization of the outcome may take many decades to achieve. In order to see which country is the most democratic according to the socio-economic definition of democracy, one must compare the different spheres of socio-economic liberation. In this paper we will look at poverty and education.
The redistribution of wealth is a primary focus of any policy that intends to bring any real socio-economic reform to the people of a country. The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment program launched by the South African government is an example of such a reform. Its aim is to address the inequalities in the economy that arose out of the Apartheid governments polices of racial segregation and align the economy with the demographics of the country (Department of Trade and Industry, 2010:1). This shows that the South African government is so serious about addressing poverty and unemployment that they brought into affect a policy on how the economy should operate.
The global financial crisis of 2009 affected the economies of many countries around the world. The United States manufacturing industry is one of the biggest employers in the country and was hit hard by the recession because of a decrease in global aggregate demand for products such as automobiles. In response the United States government passed the Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which allowed the government to stimulate the economy with up to 700 billion Dollars (Recession.org, 2010:1). While this policy may have been necessary to save the global economy from a meltdown, it did not do anything to address the already existing economic inequalities within country. This bill was passed in the interest of the economically elite and not working class Americans.
India has the second highest population on earth. In 1973 more than half of India’s population fell beneath the poverty line (Indian Planning Commission, 2010:1). By initiating sustainable programs, the Indian government has reduced poverty to the lowest levels the country has ever seen. One of the reasons for this is India’s unique view on poverty. The Indian government does not view the poverty line as most western countries do. They measure poverty by the amount of calories a person consumes per day (Indian Child, 2010:1). In alignment with this view of poverty, anti-poverty programs targets issues such as the sustainability of food crops to the provision with shelter. India has been innovative and effective in their fight against poverty.
South Africa has excelled in terms of making education more available. The Bill of Rights, contained within the South African Constitution (1996) stipulates that everyone has the right to basic education. To realize this goal, the South Africa government increased its spending on education and now its contribution to public education is its largest investment (South Africa Government Information, 2010:1). Laws were changed and now it is compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 15 years of age to attend school. Many children who come form disadvantaged backgrounds often go to school Hungary as their households have little or no income. This is a problem, as the learning process requires a lot of energy and concentration. In response to this problem, the South African government launched the National Schools Nutrition Programme. As of March 2009, 5,6 million learners are supported on a daily basis by this programme (South Africa Government Information, 2010:1). The South Africa government has done well to address the inequality with education in the country.
In the United States, education is taken seriously. Basic education is funded predominantly by government and has had a very successful history. The United States has a 98 percent literacy rate and is the 20th most literate country in the world (Nation Master, 2010:1). In the late 1990’s, graduation rates from high schools began to fall. The United States government immediately responded by passing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Great Schools, 2010:1). This law changed the way students were taught, the training of educators and most importantly increased the budget for basic education. The United States has set a good model for other countries on how to make education available to the everyone.
India has a highly developed education system and just like in South Africa and the United States, education is free and compulsory. The problem with education in India is that social conditions are so bad that often children have to work in order to bring more income into their households (Child Labour: 2010:1). Child labour is perceived as being a necessary practice in order to alleviate poverty. The Indian government is however attacking this issue head on. The Indian government launched the National Child Labour Project, which aims at ending the practice of child labour by strictly enforcing the Child Labour Act of 1987 and provide social security to the families of child labourers so that they do not feel their children have to go work (Ministry of Labour and Employment, 2010:1).
In conclusion,
List of references:
Abrahamsen, Rita, 2000, Disciplining Democracy: Development Discourse and Good Governance on in Africa, London and New York: Zed Books, Chapter 4 (‘The Democratisation of Poverty’) .
Department of Trade and Industry, 2010, BEE Proposal, http:// www.dti.gov.za/bee/complete.pdf, Date Accessed: 5 October 2010.
Recession.org, 2010, U.S Financial Bailout Plan, http://recession.org/library/financial-bailout-plan, Date Accessed: 5 October 2010.
Indian Planning Commission, 2010, Indian Planning Experience: A Statistical Profile, http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/plndx.pdf, Date Accessed: 5 October 2010.
Indian Child, 2010, India Anti-Poverty Programs by Indian Government, http://www.indianchild.com/poverty_in_india.htm, Date Accessed: 5 October 2010.
South African Government Information, 2010, Education, http://www.info.gov.za/aboutsa/education.htm, Date Accessed: 5 October 2010.
Nation Master, 2010, American Education Stats, http://www.nationmaster.com/country/us-united-states/edu-education, Date Accessed: 6 October 2010:
Great Schools, 2010, What the No Child Left Behind Law Means for Your Child, http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/quality-teaching/no-child-left-behind.gs?content=61, Date Accessed: 5 October 2010.
Child Labour, 2010, Child Labour in India, http://www.childlabor.in/child-labour-in-india.htm, Date Accessed: 5 October 2010.
Ministry of Labour and Employment, 2010. Initiatives towards Elimination of Child Labour – Action Plan and Present Strategy, http://labour.nic.in/cwl/childlabour.htm, Date Accessed: 5 October 2010.
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