Social justice increases economic returns

LAHORE: Fight for social justice is meant to bring about a positive change in the lives of the poor. However, it is easier said than done as the struggle goes against the current.

Social justice and economic growth go hand in hand; one cannot exist without the other. The sooner this is understood by those in power, the better things can become for a majority.

People in power think they are indispensable, but that is not true. They are indispensable as long as they please those with vested interests.

Our leaders must realise that progress and growth will come through joint efforts. Generally the poor are looked down upon by society.

The poor are perceived as criminals, untrustworthy, and filthy. The affluent society does not realise that often petty crimes are committed to provide for basic living needs of a family.

Crimes increase in an economy that is not creating enough jobs.

While the affluent apprehend the poor for petty crimes, they themselves commit white collar crimes, indulge in bribery and support other corrupt practices that are responsible for the deterioration of the society as a whole. However, crimes committed by the affluent are tolerated by the society ‘graciously’.

This trust is bought via ill-gotten wealth. Change would come when character is given preference over wealth.

All segments of the society should be sensitive to the needs of others, and we must share national resources fairly and equitably. To follow through such ideals, it is necessary that the political leadership and rich oppose social injustice. Our thinking on social justice should refocus on work.

There are double standards in our society. The affluent want transparency in taxation, but are not prepared to pay taxes fairly.

Industrialists hire the top executives at very high salaries, but restrict the salaries of their workers to the minimum wage fixed by the state.

Minimum wage in Pakistan has never been enough to afford decent living. Another tragedy is that most of the industries and businessmen do not pay even the minimum wage to their workers.

Traders that shun documentation pay a petty amount to their workers. In some cases the cumulative salary of the staff is less than the monthly electricity, petrol and mobile bills of the owners.

The culture of exploitation must end to ensure fair wages for all workers. Because of this exploitation Pakistan has a large population of working poor as even those who get minimum wage are hardly able to afford a decent living standard for their families.

The poor are still submissive in Pakistan, but their number is increasing due to the ailing economy and failure to absorb the surplus workforce that enters the labour market annually. It would be prudent to address their problems now instead of waiting for them to rise up against the injustices in our system.

The proportion of working poor has been constantly on the rise after Covid-19 hit our planet. Then there are workers who have lost their jobs for good because many enterprises succumbed to the continuous waves of the virus.

In view of the impact of the economic crisis on vulnerable employment and labour productivity, working poverty is likely to have increased as well. The small decreases in working poverty rates in some years of high growth are temporary, as families revert back to their previous status in years of low growth (that outnumber years of high growth).

Growth alone cannot guarantee that material wealth will be distributed in a just, let alone an equal, manner. Little attention is paid to poverty’s structural causes, such as inequality of assets and opportunities, or the unequal distributional consequences of growth.

And, because unskilled workers tend to lose their jobs first in economic downturns, while employment generally lags behind output recovery, reduced public investment in health, education, and other social programmes ultimately increase the vulnerability of the poor.

Growth must become more stable, with a consistently countercyclical macroeconomic policy stance, prudent capital-account management, and greater resilience to external shocks.

Generally, economies that have succeeded in terms of both economic growth and poverty reduction over the last three decades have done so by adopting pragmatic, heterodox policies.

Often invoking investor- and market-friendly language, they have generally encouraged private investment, especially in desired economic activities, such as those that create more job opportunities or offer increasing returns to scale.