Organisations as different as the People's National Party, the Welsh National Assembly and the World Bank have been converging on very similar ideas, though independently of each other. The first two actually use the same phrase, The Progressive Agenda and the content of which that is, is captured by a no less respectable pro-market, western organisation as the World Bank. This convergence has been happening since about 2006. It comes conveniently and the same time, as a welcome necessity while we grope and grasp for new ideas in a failing era of economics, politics and ultimately, people's lives.

In 2006, The World Bank's annual co-publication World Development Report (WDR) titled, 'Equity and Development', started by saying, "We live in a world of extraordinary inequalities in opportunity, both within and across nations". It explained that children of poor parents have a greater chance of dying in infancy, being born and growing up unhealthy, spending just a few years in school, being unemployed or poorly employed, being less likely to get bank loans, and dying at an earlier age than those of rich parents. Yet, those children never chose their circumstances. That is unfair.

The WDR says, "These children cannot be blamed for the circumstances into which they were born, yet their lives - and their ability to contribute to the development of their nations - are powerfully shaped by them." In this statement alone, the WDR exposes both the ethical and material problem of inequity. Equity is defined as equal opportunity. The WDR says, "A person's life achievement should be determined primarily by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by predetermined circumstances such as race, gender, social and family background or country of birth." Equity means that, at a minimum, the outcomes of opportunities or the lack of opportunities should not deprive children of education, health, and basic consumption and leave them in poverty.

The WDR repeats the ethical and material problems posed by inequity. "These differences in life chances across nationality, race, gender and social groups will strike many readers as fundamentally unfair. They are also likely to lead to wasted human potential and this to missed developmental opportunities." Equity, it concludes, is fundamental to long-term prosperity.

PNP and WELSH AGENDAS

The PNP's Progressive Agenda, presented to its National Executive Council last Sunday, is built on almost identical arguments. Where the two seem to part ways is on the other part of the equation - how to achieve equality or at least quality outcomes. Being so close to Western governments, the World Bank relies too much on the Western ideas of markets as the main means of achieving quality outcomes. The PNP and the Welsh National Assembly use the same phrase to describe the outcomes they want - The Quality Society. For example, markets aside the Welsh experiment also relies on party arrangements. Its Progressive Agenda is based on a coalition between its two largest parties in Parliament, the Labour Party of Wales and Plaid Cymru (Welsh Nationalist Party). Both agree to remain distinct and vigorously competitive while pursuing a One-Wales policy for a fair and just society, sustainable development, prosperity and learning for life.

The PNP conceives of a Progressive Agenda centred on economic growth and sustainable development, human resource development, a participatory, accountable and responsible democracy, a safe and secure society and a progressive international policy. It hopes to achieve these through partnerships with society, including the JLP, should it be interested.

FROM OPPORTUNITY TO OUTCOME

The WDR gives one part of the formula for achieving a quality society - recognising people based on talent and effort rather than class, race, gender, family or nationality and giving everybody an equal crack at every opportunity. The Welsh give another part - political consensus on the need to build a strong and confident nation and a prosperous and humane society, which will be strong, prosperous and humane because all have an equal chance to contribute.

The PNP however, has identified a most interesting and challenging problem in the search for the other parts that will make the formula work. Development and progress occur when a society gets back more than it invests in people and systems. Jamaica has not been getting back enough on its social investments. Opportunity has not translated into quality outcomes. The question is, why. Why have we not been learning in school and on the job, from the level of the manager and high professional to that of the neophyte, child and apprentice to be the best we can (or at least good at what we do)?

We used to think that if only more people could be given opportunity then enough would achieve social mobility to live well off. We thought opportunity was the best equaliser. We now know that many people don't make the best or even make good of the opportunity they get to repay society with improved productivity to allow those behind them to be able to get opportunity too. Many of our people are traumatised by what happens to them in the family, community and the very institutions that are supposed to nurture them and make them better - the school, church and workplace.

Furthermore, society is like a system of pay as you go. You can only go as far as you can pay to get and you can only get as good as you can pay for. Most people can only get broken-down institutions with poor quality service. We cannot get quality outcomes under these circumstances. The WDR, progressive as it sounds, is not progressive enough. Exclusion and inequity are not only functions of prejudice, internalised self-doubt or worse, self-hate based on race, gender, or nationality. They are also based on the market, which is a system that excludes those who cannot pay or pay enough unless they can otherwise buy their way to power and wealth.

FAMILY AND LAND

There is another dimension to the problem that we will also have to seriously rethink, and this is the family. The Jamaican family structure has historically been unstable because of the nature of economic life. Regular seasonal and heavy overseas migration along with pervasive visiting man-woman relationships prevented the family from staying together. Furthermore, and the instability of the family structure was related to this, landlessness and insecurity of tenure have undermined the family basis for steady income generation. Therefore, the Progressive Agenda has to bring stability to family through new land policies.

The Progressive Agenda has to bring stability to family through new land policies. - File

Jamaica style

The Progressive Agenda, Jamaica style, must involve a progressive market, one that backs up the pay as you go principle with progressive state action, such as that which would provide land and productive opportunities to families who could then become stakeholders in the care of their communities.

But it is also the state and the political process that must produce quality outcomes. Jamaicans have had equal opportunity for over 60 years to get elected to Parliament and for those 60-odd years parliamentarians have, to their credit, spoken passionately about the need for land reform and resettlement, for progressive development and better value for money. It is not only up to them for these things to happen but they must do more to make it happen. So, we end up again with the need for progressive state reform and a political process that produces quality outcomes.

Robert Buddan lectures in the Department of Government, UWI, Mona Campus. Email: Robert.Buddan@uwimona.edu.jm or columns@gleanerjm.com.