Inequalities inhibit human development

The report helped me to understand why Guatemala, with its economic improvements, continues to fall behind in human development. The report stated, "The more freedom and human development people have, the more productive they become." This idea reflects Sen's approach well. Freedom and choice play a very important role in a person's perception of his/her own situation. It's not enough to have a growing economy. Human development must be increasing as well. In Guatemala, however, great inequality is denying people their freedoms and further inhibiting human development. Inequality is one of the main issues holding human development back. It’s not only that the country’s wealth is unequally distributed, but also its education, income, population, bank loans and infrastructure among other things. The fact that this inequality is so widespread in all aspects of the country makes it difficult to address. Therefore, the solution to improving Guatemala’s human development and economy is to make changes in many different areas. Redistributing the wealth is not enough because inequality of income and wealth creates social divides that have to be dealt with as well. The concluding remarks of the report reflect this broad need for change. In the four axes that are addressed every aspect of life is presented. While I agree that its important to tackle all these axes and not let one group fall behind it also seems to be very difficult. I think the best way Guatemala can hope to improve is to make small changes to each area. In this way the bar of economic growth and human development is being raised in unison. If one axis grows too fast while another lags behind the bar will dip and may make attaining goals harder or impossible.

On an unrelated note, I had another more specific thought while reading chaper 7 on the freedom to produce. I related the conflict of mining in Guatemala to the history of the mining industry in the United States. The differences in the two reflect the eras in which they occurred. Unlike the United States, Guatemala is attempting to develop its economy in an age where environmental activism is prevalent. When the mining industry took off in the United States, the negative impacts of mining on the environment were much less understood. Therefore the growth of the mining industry was not limited and mining became an important factor in industrialization. Guatemala, however, must take into account this additional factor. Mining offers an important way to spur economic growth. On the other hand, a responsibility to the environment must be considered.