After four years of working in 'development' research, I have finally found the right moment where motivation, ability and trigger have collided (or should I say colluded) and let me blog on a topic related to work.
The trigger was this lovely article I read on the China daily (to read click here). I liked the first article as well but liked the second even more because its about something I have been thinking about since I began studying and then working in 'development'. I have constantly been at odds with indicators of progress and now it seems I have found a comrade. Yey!
The line items that appear on poverty score cards or survey questions or World bank reports that try to assess a nation's or a household's or individual's well being. are all related to consumption or expenditure. Do you own this? How much did you spend on that? I never did understand reports that boast "loans outstanding increased by 15% last year..." Are we encouraging people to want more, spend more and borrow more? Is that what we should all aspire for to be included in the 'developed' clique?
Not one of these reports asked the respondent "How happy are you?" or something to that effect. Are richer people happier people? Judging from my New York or Mumbai friends, I know I was much happier than them when I was volunteering my time at an NGO in an unnamed village. My basic needs were taken care of and I got to do what I loved the most all the time. So when and why has ownership of electrical/electronic gadgets, jewellery and livestock become an indicator of my well being?
The author says all this better of course. But why are we trying to bring people into an urban rat race while some of us are trying to escape it ourselves and run to the hills or nearest underpopulated green area whenever a weekend or vacation day makes its appearance?
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