Econ 371 Development Economics Essay Sample

Homework 2

HEALTH
India with its billionth population spends barely 1% of GDP on health care. To compare the US government, which cannot be proud of its healthcare system, spends annually more than 15% of gross product on medicine. India faces the situation when overwhelming demand for medical treatment can’t be financially met by supply from public and charity organizations. Besides, anti-sanitary living conditions and frequent migrations contribute to overall low level of health care.
Indian people are usually suspicious about medical treatment and vaccinations and don’t have the habit to attend medical organizations giving preference to folk medicine. The government should provide lifestyle coaching for Indians to adapt them to attending clinics. The government can introduce cheap or even free medical insurance that will include vaccinations and basic medical treatment. One of the possible supply side government policies would be to lowering tax rates for producers of drugs and medical equipment.
The article “End of a Scourge” reveals that the anti-polio program lasted more than 15 years has finally brought the results: the polio disease was eradicated. The campaign at its peak managed to provide anti-polio drops to 99.7 percent of the population. The campaign was rather successful due to proper financing and assistance from charity organizations and religious leaders. Both good monitoring of the results and consideration of Indian national features and traditions have strongly contributed to the process of designing the approach in which vaccination was performed.

EDUCATION

The article "Schooling the Whole Family" states that Mexico’s schools perform way better than in other Latin American schools. However, in the OECD structure Mexico’s educational performance is similar to much poorer countries which raises the question of the improvement of efficiency of Mexico’s educational system.
Mexico has a high indicator of public spending on education among OECD countries. Nevertheless, the government expenditures remain ineffective. More than 80 percent of funds are used to cover short-term costs, mainly teacher’s salary. The audit of educational system revealed financial machinations including payments to non-existing teachers, overrated salaries and other perks such as hereditary teaching jobs. The bureaucracy and bribery in educational system reveals supply side issues in government policy.
The “School Management Support” or AGE program created parents’ associations that receive grants can be used to invest in infrastructure or in materials they deem important for their schools. Despite poor grants (around $6 per student annually), the system works effectively as parents feel involved and manage to improve the environment their children attend on daily basis. The AGE program improved the educational process providing required equipment and textbooks. Households became the stakeholders of schools – now they can influence the quality of teachers’ work. As the article states “Parent pressure has also lowered teachers absenteeism” thus affecting the supply side of the educational process. Teachers are being controlled by AGE enthusiasts more carefully than by means of the government.

FAMILY DECISIONS AND EDUCATION

The infant sex ratio in India has lowered for the last decades: from 945 girls per 1,000 boys in 1991 to 927 girls in 2001 and 914 in 2011. The naturally lower birth rate of girls is artificially decreased due to Indian traditions. Families prefer to have boys while unwanted girls are often aborted or shipped to places short of them. Having a son is prestigious while having a daughter is believed to be a burden for the family. This rises from patriarchal traditions that prevail in most of the country’s regions. Women in India do not have much socio-economic freedom or decision-making powers. Indian government attempts to improve the skewed sex ratio by granting lavish dowries to families with daughters which eventually helps women get married.
In spite the fact that girls become a scarce demographic resource for India, society has not begun to value them more. On the contrary, the skewed sex ratio has resulted into sexual abuse, increase in human trafficking and encouraged violence. The fundamental principles of Indian society continue to value boys before girls. It seems that India has to face a demographic catastrophe in order to change attitude towards women and their rights in society. In many ways the rural economic background strengthens the dominance of strict patriarchate in India.
The skewed sex ratio leads to escalation of social tensions among Indians. Firstly, many men remain bachelor due to lack of women. As marriage is an important part of Indian social success, many men fall out of society and are likely to be less efficient as economic units. Secondly, the abuse of women makes their contribution to Indian economy less efficient. As a result, India can face both demographic and socio-economic issues due to expansion of sexist tensions and skewed sex ratio of infants.

Works sited

"End of a Scourge." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 18 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. <http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21594335-eradication-polio-suggests-ways-tackle-even-deadlier-diseases-end-scourge>.
"Schooling the Whole Family." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 14 May 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. <http://www.economist.com/node/18682699>.
"Seven Brothers." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 9 Apr. 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. <http://www.economist.com/node/18530371>.