QualityofLifeinIndiavsChina

QualityofLife:Indiavs.ChinaAmartyaSenMAY12,2011ISSUE1.ThesteadilyrisingrateofeconomicgrowthinIndiahasrecentlybeenaround8percentperyear(itisexpectedtobe9percentthisyear),andthereismuchspeculationaboutwhetherandwhenIndiamaycatchupwithandsurpassChina’sover10percentgrowthrate.DespitetheevidentexcitementthatthissubjectseemstocauseinIndiaandabroad,itissurelyrathersillytobeobsessedaboutIndia’sovertakingChinaintherateofgrowthofGNP,whilenotcomparingIndiawithChinainotherrespects,likeeducation,basichealth,orlifeexpectancy.Economicgrowthcan,ofcourse,beenormouslyhelpfulinadvancinglivingstandardsandinbattlingpoverty.ButthereislittlecausefortakingthegrowthofGNPtobeanendinitself,ratherthanseeingitasanimportantmeansforachievingthingswevalue.GirlsinaclassroomintheIndianmodelvillageofRaleganSiddhi,northeastofPune,Maharashtra,2006Itcould,however,beaskedwhythisdistinctionshouldmakemuchdifference,sinceeconomicgrowthdoesenhanceourabilitytoimprovelivingstandards.Thecentralpointtoappreciatehereisthatwhileeconomicgrowthisimportantforenhancinglivingconditions,itsreachandimpactdependgreatlyonwhatwedowiththeincreasedincome.Therelationbetweeneconomicgrowthandtheadvancementoflivingstandardsdependsonmanyfactors,includingeconomicandsocialinequalityand,nolessimportantly,onwhatthegovernmentdoeswiththepublicrevenuethatisgeneratedbyeconomicgrowth.SomestatisticsaboutChinaandIndia,drawnmainlyfromtheWorldBankandtheUnitedNations,arerelevanthere.LifeexpectancyatbirthinChinais73.5years;inIndiaitis64.4years.TheinfantmortalityrateisfiftyperthousandinIndia,comparedwithjustseventeeninChina;themortalityrateforchildrenunderfiveissixty-sixperthousandforIndiansandnineteenfortheChinese;andthematernalmortalityrateis230per100,000livebirthsinIndiaandthirty-eightinChina.ThemeanyearsofschoolinginIndiawereestimatedtobe4.4years,comparedwith7.5yearsinChina.China’sadultliteracyrateis94percent,comparedwithIndia’s74percentaccordingtothepreliminarytablesofthe2011census.AsaresultofIndia’sefforttoimprovetheschoolingofgirls,itsliteracyrateforwomenbetweentheagesoffifteenandtwenty-fourhasclearlyrisen;butthatrateisstillnotmuchabove80percent,whereasinChinaitis99percent.OneoftheseriousfailuresofIndiaisthataverysubstantialproportionofIndianchildrenare,tovaryingdegrees,undernourished(dependingonthecriteriaused,theproportioncancomeclosetohalfofallchildren),comparedwithaverysmallproportioninChina.Only66percentofIndianchildrenareimmunizedwithtriplevaccine(diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus),asopposedto97percentinChina.ComparingIndiawithChinaaccordingtosuchstandardscanbemoreusefulforpolicydiscussionsinIndiathanconfiningthecomparisontoGNPgrowthratesonly.ThosewhoarefearfulthatIndia’sgrowthperformancewouldsufferifitpaidmoreattentionto“socialobjectives”suchaseducationandhealthcareshouldseriouslyconsiderthatnotwithstandingthese“social”activitiesandachievements,China’srateofGNPgrowthisstillclearlyhigherthanIndia’s.2.HigherGNPhascertainlyhelpedChinatoreducevariousindicatorsofpovertyanddeprivation,andtoexpanddifferentfeaturesofthequalityoflife.ThereiseveryreasontowanttoencouragesustainableeconomicgrowthinIndiainordertoimprovelivingstandardstodayandinthefuture(includingtakingcareoftheenvironmentinwhichwelive).Sustainableeconomicgrowthisaverygoodthinginawaythat“growthmania”isnot.GNPpercapitais,however,notinvariablyagoodpredictorofvaluablefeaturesofourlives,forthosefeaturesdependalsoonotherthingsthatwedo—orfailtodo.CompareIndiawithBangladesh.Inincome,IndiahasahugeleadoverBangladesh,withaGNPpercapitaof$1,170,comparedwith$590inBangladesh,incomparableunitsofpurchasingpower.ThisdifferencehasexpandedrapidlybecauseofIndia’sfasterrateofrecenteconomicgrowth,andthat,ofcourse,isapointinIndia’sfavor.India’ssubstantiallyhigherrankthanBangladeshintheUNHumanDevelopmentIndex(HDI)islargelyduetothisparticularachievement.ButwemustaskhowwellIndia’sincomeadvantageisreflectedinotherthingsthatalsomatter.Ifeartheansweris:notwellatall.LifeexpectancyinBangladeshis66.9yearscomparedwithIndia’s64.4.TheproportionofunderweightchildreninBangladesh(41.3percent)islowerthaninIndia(43.5),anditsfertilityrate(2.3)isalsolowerthanIndia’s(2.7).Meanyearsofschoolingamountto4.8yearsinBangladeshcomparedwithIndia’s4.4years.WhileIndiaisaheadofBangladeshinthemaleliteracyratefortheagegroupbetweenfifteenandtwenty-four,thefemalerateinBangladeshishigherthaninIndia.Interestingly,thefemaleliteracyrateamongyoungBangladeshisisactuallyhigherthanthemalerate,whereasyoungwomenstillhavesubstantiallylowerratesthanyoungmalesinIndia.ThereismuchevidencetosuggestthatBangladesh’scurrentprogresshasagreatdealtodowiththerolethatliberatedBangladeshiwomenarebeginningtoplayinthecountry.Whatabouthealth?Themortalityrateofchildrenunderfiveissixty-sixperthousandinIndiacomparedwithfifty-twoinBangladesh.Ininfantmortality,Bangladeshhasasimilaradvantage:itisfiftyperthousandinIndiaandforty-oneinBangladesh.While94percentofBangladeshichildrenareimmunizedwithDPTvaccine,only66percentofIndianchildrenare.Ineachoftheserespects,BangladeshdoesbetterthanIndia,despitehavingonlyhalfofIndia’s