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| He poor also aspire | | | Khimi Thapa
It is mistakenly believed that only the middle class in urban areas has aspirations that propel upward social and economic mobility. A new study shows that the poor, too, aspire for a better life and this helps them break free of poverty
Aspirations are not only for the middle class in urban India. Aspirations hold the key for the poor also to come out of poverty. This is one of the key findings of the latest study, Moving out of Poverty: The Promise of Empowerment and Democracy in India, released by the World Bank.
Dwelling upon four factors — understanding realities from bottom-up that is, learning from individuals; focussing on the dynamics of social, political and economic institutions at the local level; upward and downward mobility; and, case studies — the report, based on people’s own definition of poverty and their strategies to come out of it, provides a platform to 30,000 women and men from 300 villages across Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to voice their opinion.
Unlike other studies on poverty, rather than shying away from the challenge of ‘immeasurability’, the World Bank has strived to focus on what is invaluable but intangible: Psychological characteristics like motivation, aspirations, self-confidence and empowerment, combined with individual initiatives, which actually help people to come out of poverty. It is the analysis of intrinsic psychological characteristics and extrinsic circumstances like local democratic structures, social shocks, Government responsiveness, etc, that help understand the process that keeps people poor.
It is often believed that poverty limits the poor’s aspirations. But aspirations are directly proportional to the degree of success and act as a powerful force multiplier for moving out of poverty. Aspirations serve as a motivation to action, the study reveals, that can lead to better futures.
The very aspiration of seeing their children doing better than them and opt for different occupations from that of their parents fosters the dream of a better future, which is further associated with mobility in the poverty graph in all the four States where trends have been studied.
Despite being in poverty, overall 77 per cent of households expect that their children will be better off in the future; another 17 per cent say they will be in a similar situation; and, only six per cent believe they will be worse off. Although the figures in the study are not statistically representative of the States, it is crucial to understand the relationship between moving out of poverty and other related factors.
It is not surprising that ‘movers’ (households that were poor in 1995 but moved out of poverty by 2005) have a higher level of aspirations for their children than the chronically poor (households that were poor in 1995 and remained poor in 2005), who are often disheartened by the realisation that the ‘system’ — whether job opportunities, credit facilities, public services or social interactions — is rigged against them. However, 65 per cent of the chronically poor are hopeful of a better future for their children — this suggests that though stuck in possible destitution, they believe in a bright future for the next generation.
Making unconventional choices, like choosing non-farm activities, including jobs and initiatives such as opening small businesses are a result of the ‘I can do it’ attitude that is fomented by aspirations. “In Uttar Pradesh, 41 per cent wanted to start a new business, while 37 per cent showed preference for Government jobs. In West Bengal and Assam, these options accounted for 76 per cent and 83 per cent respectively”, the report says.
Citing the adage that a hungry man only invites further drought and is not welcome anywhere, young women from the youth group of Hathina village in Uttar Pradesh insist that hard work and confidence go hand-in-hand in determining mobility. This alludes to a virtuous cycle of self-belief, respect from others and economic mobility.
On the other hand, those trapped in extreme poverty find themselves low on self-confidence, social respect and prospects of upward mobility. Running linear regressions, the study finds that aspirations for a better future are significantly associated with mobility on the poverty chart in all the four States.
However, it would not be entirely right to give all credit to psychological factors alone as extrinsic factors like the provision of skills (technical and financial), and better access to credit and local markets through better infrastructure such as improved roads aid the aspirations of people and help them escape the stranglehold of poverty.
Interestingly, in Andhra Pradesh, most probably because of the self-help group movement that helps households financially, even the chronically poor have high aspirations and, hence, there is little association between aspirations and mobility.
Clearly, India’s progress cannot be envisaged without addressing its festering poverty. As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said, “India happens to be a rich country inhabited by very poor people.” Perhaps what the nation needs is greater accountability of local democratic structures, improved access to information related to Government schemes, savings and credit instruments, social and health insurance programmes, and other safety net schemes that can prevent the poor from descending into poverty.
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