Why Kenya cant and isnt ready to be a welfare state. This is just a note from the conversation we had on Saturday as to why Kenya doesnt have the capacity and moral economy to successfully implement and operate a welfare system. From my research, a welfare state can be said to be one that advances policies around social protection, social insurance and redistribution of resources. It can be either encompassing and universal in its reach, such as in the Scandinavian countries or small and targeted as in the States. I came across two theories that try to explain the emergence and distribution of welfare states across the world. 1. Power Resources Theory: the generosity of the welfare state is a function of working class political mobilisation. In other words, it develops from class related collective action. Consider if Kenya was led by a labour party rather than a bunch of few political elites; the social security sector would definitely look very different today. Stark contrast to the level of capitalist exploitation and the growing divide between the rich and poor. Therefore the more political resources the working class can muster, such as a strong and united union movement providing electoral support to labour or social democratic parties, the more extensive, comprehensive, universal and generous the welfare state will become. This is of course easier said than done as over 40 percent of Kenyans are unemployed and deeply divided along tribal lines. But it does provoke imagination of how different our country would be if it was run by the have-nots rather than the haves. As evidenced by NSSF, Jamii Bora and other friendly societies; unions and NGOs could take care of many of these risks and create large insurance organisations, but it is certainly possible to argue that there are certain risks that only the state is more effective than any other organisation for implementing redistribution. 2. Quality of Government Theory: A composite of rule of law, control of corruption and government effectiveness, has large importance in a citizens evaluation in the legitimacy of a State handling a welfare system. This really in our context is the largest barrier towards the growth and emergence of Kenya as a welfare state. Question: How do we perceive the trustworthiness, competence and reliability of our government authorities? However, this isnt and shouldnt be the only question we ask ourselves with regard to our states ability to shift their focus to social security policies. A. Do we as Kenyans consider such policies a good thing or not? B. Enactment of such policies means we will have to part with a substantial portion of our money through tax or other forms of contribution. Are we ready and willing? C. Have we or can we establish processes against overuse and outright abuse of say unemployment benefits or early retirement due to chronic diseases? Additionally, how do we distinguish between risks for which citizens take personal responsibility, and risks for which they have the right to claim benefits? Taking a look at both theories, it is clear to me due to 1. High level of unemployment and divisive politics and 2. High level of corruption, distrust and government ineffectiveness; Kenya isnt at a position to become a welfare state. However, we are not doomed as a nation as I dare think and say that the world will see the emergence of a third theory to explain the development of a socially conscious state from Kenya. One bred from sheer determination and frustration to see a more equal and just society with a collective agenda. Free for free models, Unemployed political parties/unions and localised welfare states are some of the steps I feel we should start to take of we are ever to get there. :-)
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 18:11:29 +0000
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