Quality of life is one of those concepts that trigger lively debates when you aim at reaching a precise definition of the subject. However, it reflects the important notion that well-being goes well beyond mere income and material consumption, and hence beyond economic growth.
The report "Our Common Future" by the Brundtland Commission, presented in 1987, was very influential in launching the concept sustainable development: it called for such economic advance that provides us human beings with a high quality of life and social justice, while not compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As a proud owner of a first edition of the report, I still subscribe to this goal, both in principle and in practice.
Of course, we have moved on in the past 23 years. As explained in the Stiglitz report last year, there is now a broad consensus on what constitute the essential dimensions of quality of life: they include sound standards in education, health, the environment and social inclusion.
I want to stress that Community policy has always aimed for much more than just economic growth and GDP. Its point of departure has been a broad concept of welfare, i.e. sustainable development, which is composed of an economic, environmental and social pillar. It is true that this should be reinforced and become more visible. Both the Europe 2020 Strategy and the "GDP and Beyond" Communication demonstrate this ambition. They build on the wide consensus that GDP is an incomplete and thus insufficient measure of social progress.
Nevertheless, economic growth matters. We are acutely aware of this basic truth today as we recover from a very deep economic recession: economic growth is still an essential pre-condition for well-being. Growth brings more jobs and more prosperity, which directly and indirectly improve people's lives. It also brings more public resources which can finance policies aimed at enhancing the quality of life.
Of course, from the well-being perspective, the quality and sustainability of economic growth matter at least as much as its quantity. As outlined in the Europe 2020 Communication, growth has to be "smart, inclusive and sustainable". 'Smart' by being knowledge-based and providing a high value-added. 'Inclusive' by giving all citizens a stake and keeping the society together. 'Sustainable' by providing economic stability and ensuring sound public finances. Such sustainable growth should of course not jeopardise the needs of future generations.
Therefore, the Europe 2020 strategy has formulated key policy objectives, or so-called "headline targets", which the EU as a whole and Member States individually are committed to achieve by 2020.
As agreed with the Member States, four of the five headline targets are directly related to key quality of life aspects:
(1) on employment, raising the employment rate to 75 per cent for men and women aged 20-64 years,
(2) on education, reducing school drop-out rates to less than 10 % and increasing the share of 30-34 years old with tertiary education to 40 %,
(3) on social inclusion, lifting at least 20 million people out of risk of poverty, and
(4) on abatement of climate change by reducing carbon emissions and increasing the share of renewable energy. Also the fifth target on research and innovation is closely linked to the quality of life.
Basil Venitis asserts the modern European welfare kleptocratic state has proven unsustainable. From Greece to Portugal, European countries are slashing social welfare benefits, raising the retirement age, and dismantling government bureaucracies and kleptocrat networks. Europe is learning that you can't forever rob Peter in order to pay Paul. Laissez-nous faire! Let us do! Let us alone!
Venitis, twitter.com/Venitis, points out Eurokleptocracy, gigaregulation, Antitrust Armageddon, and gigataxation, especially VAT, are the real causes of the European financial meltdown. Democracy in Fourth Reich(EU) has deteriorated to kleptocracy, and Fourthreichians, aka Europeans, are mad as hell. Eurokleptocracy thrives on waste, fraud, abuse,and kickbacks. European Union(EU), aka Fourth Reich, an illegal unvoted confederation, condones the European Commission(EC), aka Eldorado of Corruption, the European Parliament(EP), aka Eldorado of Prostitutes, and Graecokleptocrats, the most corrupt politicians on Earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.