Catalonia and the fight against poverty
BarcelonaThe Ramón Areces Foundation and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research have calculated the cost of eliminating poverty in Spain, a figure they place at 24 billion euros, but the most interesting aspect is that the study offers data by territory and allows for a comparative analysis of the last 10 years. This provides two snapshots: a static one of which territories have the highest population at risk of poverty or exclusion, and a dynamic one of which have most improved these indicators in a decade. In this regard, Catalonia does not fare particularly badly, as it has 14.3% of the population at risk of poverty and 5.3% at risk of exclusion (extreme poverty), a figure that represents about half of that of the worst-off autonomous community, which is Andalusia.
However, while Andalusia has improved in both indicators in recent years, Catalonia has not been able to reduce the percentage of the population at risk of poverty, which is even a few tenths higher now (14.3%). On the other hand, there are fewer people at risk of exclusion (5.3%, 2.8 points less than in 2015). Looking at it territorially, two contrasting cases are observed, one of success and one of failure. The success story is that of the Balearic Islands, which in 10 years has halved the percentage of the population at risk of poverty (from 21.7% to 11.6%), while the failure would be that of the Valencian Community, which has increased the poverty index and, above all, the exclusion index, so that it is now the territory with the most, surpassing Andalusia.
The study also calculates the percentage of GDP that would need to be allocated per territory to eliminate poverty. In the case of Catalonia, it would be 1.2% of GDP, far from the 3.9% that Andalusia would need or the 3.3% of Murcia. On the other hand, Euskadi, which is the community that is best in all areas, would only have to contribute 0.6% of its economy. These figures show not only the importance of having a strong, but also a cohesive economy, and that the objective of eradicating poverty is not as utopian as one might think if the numbers are put on the table. In the case of Catalonia, this 1.2% of GDP would represent around 4 billion euros, a figure that does not seem unreasonable.
These figures should serve as an incentive for a serious study to be carried out, in the specific case of Catalonia, on the effectiveness of social policies to combat poverty, because it does not seem reasonable that economic growth in recent years has not managed to reduce this 14% structural poverty to approach the figures of the Basque Country (9.3%). Reducing inequality should be an objective of any government, but it is humanly imperative to have specific policies for the most serious cases, with special attention to the child population. Reducing poverty to a minimum should be a shared objective across the board. All that is missing is leadership and an ambitious plan to make it possible.
