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Working towards minimizing serious inequalities is a pillar of democracy in the most-advanced societies. Equality is
France’s motto since the Third Revolution, more than a century ago. Sweden made it part
of its social fabric. And the objective of equality remains an anchor in the most advanced European countries.
Those who object to enshrining equality in their constitution
fear that it somehow gives carte blanche to abuses and laziness. But such normalization of deviance1 should
not be the driving force in policy, as it would be a greater impediment to democracy. "Actually,
ordinary people have in countless occasions proven to be extraordinary beyond expectations. Placing faith in them
is vital to fulfilling Lincoln's vision of a government by and for its people. All its people."2
Part of the problem of the word "Equality" is its wide-ranging power of connotation and a low power of designation,
even among law makers, as I have discovered during the last twenty years.
In advising policy-makers and economists, I prefer to focus on equity where we distinguish between three types:
1. Universal
Equity
Universal equity aims at equal access and quality treatment. It applies, at the very
least, to primary education, workplace safety and, in most developed countries, basic health care and
secondary education.
In terms of metrics, universal equity can be measured through an inequity index,
which determines the percentage of citizens that are hindered from access to
universal services, or even, denied universal equity, either de facto or, much
worse, de jure. The inequity index acts in a similar fashion to the unemployment
or inflation index and should be kept as low as possible. It is a matter of
grave concern when it reaches double digits. As an illustration, distance from
health care providers can be an obstacle to universal equity and should be
reflected in the inequity index. Some western European countries provide
transportation vouchers to mitigate the problem of access. Affirmative action
aims at mitigating endemic universal inequities.
2. Compensatory
Equity
Compensatory
equity applies where universal equity cannot be achieved. It aims at alleviating
deprivations of vital human needs. In developed countries, victims of
unemployment and large-scale disasters are eligible for compensatory equity.
Since society cannot guarantee a job to everyone, at the very least, it should
assist those who lost a job get one, and, in the meantime, minimize the deprivations
related to job loss through instruments like unemployment insurance. In
Scandinavian countries, compensatory equity went much further to redress the
Gini coefficient through progressive taxation, among other
instruments.
3. Status Equity
Special care to war veterans and the handicapped, supplementary police
protection to national leaders, supplementary health and dental care for natives
(in New Zealand and Canada), all fall under status equity. In diplomacy, status equity is
a key element of the Vienna Convention, which states that receiving countries
must ensure the protection, security and safety of diplomats and representatives
of international intergovernmental organizations. Democratic countries would not
tolerate that their diplomats be subjected to the treatment granted to the
citizens of the receiving states, in countries where the rule of law is
impoverished.
Note
1. I owe the phrase "normalization of deviance" to Astronaut Mike Mullane.
2. Adapted from Nick Taylor: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA: American-Made,
When FDR Put the Nation to Work,
Bantam Dell, 2008, ISBN: 978-0-553-38132-0
© A. P. Martin, 2010. All rights reserved.
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