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IASIA symposium on public administration: challenges of poverty and exclusion

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Date01 December 2004
AuthorBernardo Kliksberg
DOI10.1177/0020852304048450
Published date01 December 2004
Subject MatterArticles
/tmp/tmp-17Jzq857sYt1Xn/input International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
IASIA symposium on public administration: challenges of
poverty and exclusion
Introduction: new expectation for the role of the state
Bernardo Kliksberg
Malnutrition is currently the cause of half of all child deaths in the world. It debilitates
them and leaves them vulnerable to illnesses that should not be fatal. According to a
recent study (WHO/Johns Hopkins, 2004), if children were properly nourished,
1,000,000 annual deaths from pneumonia, 800,000 deaths from diarrhea, 500,000
deaths from malaria, and 250,000 deaths from smallpox could be avoided. There is
no justification for this situation. Accelerating technological advancements have
permitted humanity to produce enough food to sustain twice the current world
population. Still 500,000 mothers die each year during pregnancy or in labor and
99 percent of these deaths take place in the developing world. Medical assistance
does not reach them. The rate of maternal mortality is 30 times higher than in
developed countries. The poverty afflicting nearly half the human race has forced
246 million children to work and has caused the 2002 level of emigration to reach a
record 120 million. One billion people do not have acess to drinking water, a vital
resource for life. The life expectancy in rich countries is 80 years, while, in the poorest
countries, it is 51 years. A third of the world’s workforce is unemployed or under-
employed.
A planet so immensely rich in possibilities, in science, and in technology is appar-
ently incapable of guaranteeing its inhabitants the minimal rights of nutrition, health,
education, and work. One central reason is the acute inequalities, both between and
within countries. The richest 20 percent of the world population owns 86 percent of
the gross domestic product, 82 percent of exports, 95 percent of credit, and receives
68 percent of foreign investments. The poorest 20 percent has less than 1 percent of
each indicator. The assets of three...

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