Berlin Workshop Series 2006 : Equity and Development
This year, the workshop examined the conceptual foundation of the workshop sessions by discussing the definition of equity itself. What do we mean by equity, and how does equity differ from equality? Whereas equity is commonly associated positively...
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| Language: | English en_US |
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Washington, DC : World Bank
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/01/6754573/equity-development http://hdl.handle.net/10986/6964 |
| Summary: | This year, the workshop examined the
conceptual foundation of the workshop sessions by discussing
the definition of equity itself. What do we mean by equity,
and how does equity differ from equality? Whereas equity is
commonly associated positively with impartiality and
justice, economists understand equality as an idealistic and
unattainable goal often linked to socialism and communism.
The terminological twins equity/equality, however, can be
conceptualized in highly diverging ways with different
consequences for development strategy. The discussions
throughout the workshop mirror the controversial positions
of international discourse on the topic. Through the varying
dimensions of these terms, discussions focused on the
different responsibilities for political action such terms
entail. For example, whereas equality in outcome implies an
egalitarian perspective, economic studies on inequality in
outcome mostly take into account the results of actions and
conditions such as unequal incomes. Session I, on what is
equity, and, what is the role for governments in the
promotion of equity, further discussed how does this role
differ between developed and developing countries.
Nonetheless, it was suggested that before operationalizing
and measuring inequity, the concept itself has to be
clarified, and, further arguments indicated that one future
challenge for development policy is precisely to combine
growth-promoting policies with policies that assure that the
poor can fully participate in the opportunities that growth
offers. Session II, on equity-enhancing social
transformation and historical evidence from European and
Transition Countries, focus on policies that impact equity.
Session III, on building efficient welfare states and
lessons learnt, discussed the task of formulating policies
that foster both efficiency and equitable social welfare,
while Session IV, on international inequalities and what can
be done to reduce them, focuses on the global level,
contrary to Session III which concentrated on equity issues
at the national level. Finally, Session V, on what will
greater integration mean for inequalities between and within
the richer and poorer countries of the New Europe, draws a
very differentiated picture. Conclusions outlined key issues
that need to be addressed, noting the importance of
carefully analyzing different redistributive instruments
with respect to their effects on growth and efficiency, and
vice versa. |
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