E qual Sus t ainable Dev elopmen t R esear ch R esults – E du ca tional and Pr actical T ools JRP – India EN- F ANCE ET P AIX – Seneg al AL TERNA TIVE–V - UKRAINE • “There was a time when by the "new economics" was meant the Keynesian economics, which was notable as a response to the depression of the 1930s. The new economics that is struggling to grow, today is something very different. It constitutes our response to a new set of problems which were only dimly perceived earlier, but have been steadily grown in urgency over the last quarter of this century. It attempts to put forward new ideas about how to organise the foundations of a sustainable economy at this juncture in history when there are clear signs that the global economy cannot move much further along the accustomed paths of industrial growth without ending up in total disaster. For the true welfare economist the horizons of enquiry are shifting again in a new direction.... The study of wealth and welfare stands at a new crossroads”. Amlan Datta (1997)1 Introduction and Definitions A definition that captures much of modern economics is that of Lionel Robbins in a 1932 essay: "... the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses Economics aims to explain how economies work and how economic agents interact. Economic analysis is applied throughout society, in business, finance and government, but also in crime, education, the family, health, Law, politics, regligion, social institutions, war, and science. • Current economic focuses on: • away from a state-centred or business-centred economic system, • towards a more people-centred system (Gender balance), and • away from money-measured growth as the principal economic • target and measure of success, towards sustainability in terms of • real-life, social and environmental and economic variables Economic indicator • An economic indicator (or business indicator) is a statistic about the economy. Economic indicators allow analysis of economic performance and predictions of future performance. • Economic indicators include various indices, earnings reports, and economic summaries. Examples: unemployment rate, quits rate, housing starts, Consumer Price Index (a measure for inflation), Consumer Leverage Ratio, industrial production, bankruptcies, Gross Domestic Product, broadband internet penetration, retail sales, stock market prices, money supply changes. World Economy by GDP, 2008 Sustainable development • Sustainable development has been defined as - "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". • Conventional economic progress fails to meet the needs of many millions of people today and compromises the ability of future generations to meet theirs. The new economics (Sustainable) reflects the growing worldwide demand for new ways of economic life and thought that will conserve the Earth and its resources, and empower both woman and man to meet their own needs and the needs of others. New Economic Approaches • systematic empowerment of people (as opposed to making and • keeping them dependent), as the basis for people-centred • development; • · systematic conservation of resources and environment, as the • basis for environmentally sustainable development; • · evolution from a “wealth of nations” model of economic life to a • one-world model, and from today's inter-national economy to an • ecologically sustainable, decentralising, multi-level one-world • economic system; • · restoration of political and ethical factors to a central place in • economic life and thought; • · respect for qualitative values, not just quantitative values; • · respect for feminine values, not just masculine ones Informal Economy and Gender • Although some transformations have taken place, the gender division of work keeps appointing women exclusively to house chores, reproductive activities and home and family care tasks. Besides, social and demographic changes are taking place, such as migration, the increase of divorce rates, and women who are head of families, etc. The effects of this division are expressed through an overload of work without social acknowledgment, lack of time for training and entertainment and a deficient access to information systems which reduces the opportunities to enter the labour world, the possibilities of participating in social life and politics and decision-making chances. These, among others, are some of the causes why women usually represent the majority in the performance of informal activities. • Women's economic participation in developed and developing countries includes issues such as the invisibility of women's economic activities and their concentration mainly in low-wage and menial jobs in farming activities due to the lack of equal education and training, as well as limited access to productive assets, land and property, and credit. • Official statisticsWomen's for the region Economic indicate that Status women's empowerment policies have effectively targeted female education and health services, which have improved significantly over the last few decades. These improvements are essentially due to increased public spending on education and health care and the spread of mass media. In the year 2000, average spending on education reached 5.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) - the highest in the world - and 2.9 percent on health care. As a result, the welfare of women has improved significantly. Female life expectancy has increased by ten years since 1980 and the female literacy rate increased from less than 17 percent in 1970 to more than 52 percent in 2000. • Yet, as the UN's Human Development Report for 2003 has noted, the region has the lowest gender empowerment ratings, which reflects the participation of women in economic, professional, and political activities using indicators of per capita income, women's percentage share for professional and technical positions, and women's percentage share of parliamentary seats. More specifically, Israel is rated highest at 61.2 percent, followed by the United Arab Emirates (31.5%), Turkey (29%), and Egypt (25.3%). Yemen is the lowest on the list, with a rate of 12.7 percent. By contrast, the measure for countries in Latin America exceeded 50 percent and 75 percent of rates for specific European and North American countries. No data was available for SubSaharan Africa and other Middle Eastern and North African countries. Game!! Tools for Equal Sustainable Development “Let’s maximize the role of women in SD” The research aims to explore the role of women in SD (Sustainable Development) through the analyse of their involvement in one of the Pillars of SD - Economy Development to be sustainable should be taking into consideration the present and future needs of: Economy: sensitivity to the limits and potential of economic growth and its impact on society and on the environment in relation to Ukraine Reference documents and Data "There are no separate women's problems, there are societal problems" (Ukraine's well-known author and community activist Solomiya Pavlychko ) Despite geographic and political differences, women are all concerned about the same issues - the health of our children, the quality and availability of medicine and education, jobs, the environment. These are not the problems only of Ukrainian women or even women in general. They concern each individual and are usually resolved along with the successful economic, political and moral development of the nation and civil society. The state works to resolve these problems, but without the support of the non- governmental sector and community organizations, without the active involvement of women themselves, we cannot expect quick and effective results. Reference documents and Data Almost 80% of workers in the healthcare, educational and cultural sectors of Ukraine are women. Due to them - true professionals, enthusiasts and patriots, Ukraine is successfully renewing itself and developing. I believe that sometimes even a little assistance or motivation is enough to help these women gain confidence, and feel their ability to make changes for the better. Reference documents and Data Today women account for 46% 54% of the population of 54% Ukraine. Gender equality is officially guaranteed by Ukrainian law. Unfortunately, however, the reality is not as bright. Women are not adequately represented in the highest levels of government, where important strategic decisions are made. In our parliament, 10% of the deputies are women. In ministries and in regional government the number of women is also small. Reference documents and Data Furthermore, women in Ukraine earn 68.2%, that is 2/3, of the salaries of men. This problem is magnified when women reach pension age, because the size of pensions depends on past earnings. A few women are represented in big business and finance, though they make up 30% of small and medium size businesses. But Ukrainian women also have their successes and achievements: First, there exist numerous women's organizations that impact on government, politics and social thought. As a result, we have adopted significant programs in health, homelessness, protection of mother and child, human trafficking. Second, there is a growing number of women in local government. Also, in 2005, President Yushchenko appointed Ukraine's first female governors. Third, more and more women are opening small and medium sized businesses. Fourth,