Pratap Bhanu Mehta
Milinda: Professor Xue Lan, what do you think is the biggest challenge facing China today?
Xue Lan: One is the disparities, regional disparities, disparities between people in the same town. The other challenge is the environment. The resource constraints and pollution.
Milinda: What are the challenges facing India?
Mehta: The unconsciounably high levels of poverty that still exist. Despite growth the rate of poverty is not falling as fast as it could. The core failure there is the failure of state bodies to respond. The challenge is to take advantage of this growth. Poverty remains the most compelling sign of the extent to which our societies have mutiliated human possibilities and hope.
Poverty rarely leads to mass protests. Challenges actually come when there are changes. One could argue that it is only actually in the last ten years that it is possible to experience the possibility of moving out of poverty. It’s actually the first generation that sees the possibility of moving out. We are in that sense capitalizing on that sense of expectancy. All the evidence we are getting, the question is this gives you a little window of opportunity. If these expectations are disappointed you’re going to get manifestations of violent social movements.
Milinda: One of the biggest challenges with a reform mind is managing the vested interests. That is the biggest challenge. In poor societies people are competing for a small pie. That is the reality. Day to day we are dealing with vested interests. When it comes to elections, that’s what it is. If one takes a citizen centered view, the vested interests have to be overcome to talk to them. It’s the same in advanced democracies. How do you handle vested interests, how do you successfully build coalitions. Public protests are manipulated in this part of the world as you know. In this way I think technology can play a role. It can be manipulated in the wrong direction, or positively.
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