Plight of vulnerable
This would be the final article on anticipations of the 2014 budget. When the series first started, the intention was to focus attention on the least exposed items of the budget proposal. They are the issues that do not attract as much attention as the activities in the productive sector of the economy. Yet, the budgetary spending to address the plight of vulnerable groups is as important as allocations to the productive sector of the economy. Crime, absenteeism, sickness and low literacy skills, all associated with poverty and members of vulnerable groups, impact the level of performance of the productive sector of the economy.
Classification
Despite their importance, the condition of the less fortunate or the vulnerable among us is a much neglected part of the budget debate. The budget generally identifies seven categories of persons which it regards as deserving attention under this label of ‘vulnerable.’ These include members of society who are children, the youth, elderly, single parents, homeless, indigenous communities and others. Others generally refer to persons who face economic hardships and are forced to depend on public assistance. The generic categorization could lead one to believe that all children are marginal to the economic fortunes of the country. So too could one think of young Guyanese, single parents and the elderly. The social classification of homeless is perhaps the only one that does not leave one to wonder as to what vulnerability and social marginalization persons are exposed.
Children, the youth, elderly, and single parents have been placed in the category of vulnerable for different reasons. The more generic social classifications such as children and youth lack differentiation until labels such as orphan or troubled are provided and lead one to a narrower but clearer focus of the item of expenditure. It is quite possible that