A letter writer who goes by "Superdog" checked in a while back to respond to some things he learned a recent event featured on The Next Mayor. As part of their Public Conversation Series 2007, the Urban Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania has been hosting a number of forums titled - URBAN POVERTY & PROSPERITY:BUILDING AN AGENDA FOR PHILADELPHIA'S NEXT MAYOR.
On February 13 the topic was "Public Safety, Poverty, and the Justice System."
Take it away Superdog:
To: WHYY & Daily News & Next Mayor.com
RE: Linking economic growth and poverty
Dear U. Penn Urban Studies,
Thank you for inviting me to your class/ conference on Urban Poverty and Prosperity, yesterday February 13, 200 College Hall.
It is surprising to me that the link between diminishing poverty and economic growth and/or economic productivity growth is still not understood. The more poverty the less economic growth.
The notion that the human being is the smallest indivisible economic actor means that society’s general productivity also depends on the welfare of its parts. One cannot perform and be functional when one is hungry, sick, homeless or skill-less. The presence of anyone of these four variables prevents the actor to be productive. The consequence is that making sure that people are not under any of these four predicaments is one of the ways society can improve its overall productivity and economic growth.
Some countries, mostly European, seem to understand better the value of quality human resource management. This year 2007 in January France voted legislation making a home a universal right. The matter is still in the hands of the French Senate. But it has already made its historical mark. It is a first, esn’t it? Jules Ferry brought universal education, Leon Blum brought universal health care. The recently departed Abbé Pierre brought universal housing rights to legislation through the lobbying efforts of his Abbé Pierre Foundation and Emmaus. This serves as an example. It will show us what specific regulations are used and where problems lay when the legislation is applied.
Interestingly for me, one intervention yesterday attempted to link the role of the non-profit sector and development. Non-profit sector is very big in Philadelphia, where about 5000 non-profit organizations are worth together about $1.3 billion. Non-profit organizations are a better ally to government than the private sector because they are vested in human development investments and natural resource management. They also can bring volunteer work and volunteered contributions as well as matching public funds to publicly funded programs. One of the best ways to develop business in Philadelphia will be to strengthen the non-profit sector with outreach material production tools such as public access TV was supposed to bring the city. Philadelphia never got the promised Public Access TV. Philadelphia non-profit sector is suffering from its absence. Local government suffers that its best ally’s sector is not developing as fast and as strong as it could and should. Which candidate is aware and wishes to address the issue?
We heard Police Officer Lt. Fran Healy say that rare were the cases were real problems were occurring. He used the image “needle in a haystack” and the words, “hopelessness” and “lack of respect for themselves”. He explained how it is harder for police to enforce peace when psychological issues are present which require a compassionate and soft hand, not a correctional system. Management methods used are too often violent. Politicians call for more police and more force when really more services and more intelligence is needed. Intelligence, as in gathering information can only be elicited, it cannot be coerced. Lt Healy also spoke about lack of human development investments as in lack of education. Large numbers of uneducated poor cannot help create economic growth. Humans are a resource, just like natural resource, they requires proper and sustainable management.
Our problem is that we do not invest enough in human development investments nor in non-violent natural resource management. Thus we are preventing markets to grow at a rate sufficient to satisfy adequate capital return and to generate more taxable income.
With violent solutions to our problems, such as massive incarcerations, we spend all our present and future money fighting to preserve a market we could simply increase with proper public investments such as addressing hunger and disease, creating infrastructure and housing for people, providing good education and managing our natural resources in a sustainable fashion. Fighting the “war on terror”, the “war on drugs” etc. rather than poverty we are multiplying both our global and local problems rather than solving them. It is a loosing proposition. It is going to take more and more money to get less and less results.
It is just as if our civilization had been taken over by a disease. We are watching ourselves attack ourselves as with an auto-immune disease that slowly kills us. The economy of peace is 100 times larger than the economy of war but it is the economy of war which dictates how an ever larger portion of public funds are allocated. We have been taken over by some hungry cancer, giving us the impression that we need to eat. In reality it is making us feel hungry to feed itself – and it is to our suffering and ultimate detriment. The economy of war is capital’s cancer.
We have to become more aware and we have to be willing to see the disastrous long term consequences of our actions or lack of action. Unfortunately, it seems that only reality confronting pain can make us change this course. Because Peace can bring us into an age of unforeseen abundance and plenty, I make the wish that we are able to be wiser and bring the Economy of Peace back to health. It is capital’s direct interest to stop the economy of war and clearly explain what the choices we make, as a society, mean, in term of its own return and economic growth.
Best and friendliest,
Superdog & jfl
Advocating for Peace from an Economic and Financial point of view.
For Non-Violent Management of Natural and Human Resources