The United Nations Human Development Report for 2004 is an illuminating document for Irish readers and those with an interest in the comparative position of this country in world affairs. The detailed statistics on economic and social development tell the story of how well we have fared during the Celtic Tiger years of greater prosperity and fuller employment.
The report's main analytical theme this year, cultural liberty in a more diverse world, draws several lessons from recent Irish history and provides a sophisticated and valuable account of how conflicts over identities and minority rights should be managed.
Ireland enters the top 10 states in the report's human development index for the first time, moving up two positions on last year and eight on 2002. The index has been carefully constructed and refined over the 15 reports published since 1990. It has become an innovative and increasingly authoritative reference point for understanding and measuring human development and the quality of life. It is based on three basic dimensions: a long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth; knowledge, as measured by literacy and educational enrolment; and a decent standard of living, calculated by gross domestic product per capita in relation to purchasing power parities.
Ireland's position reflects the exceptionally strong economic and income growth of recent years and the allocation of increased funds to education and health budgets. But the report points out that for the richest countries a different measure, the human poverty index, better reflects the human deprivation that still exists and can help direct the focus of public policy. On this list Ireland comes at 16th place out of 17 states, just ahead of the United States. This reflects greater income and gender inequality, higher functional illiteracy and life expectancy among poorer people.
The merit of the method used in this report is to highlight such contrasting rankings, which reflect alternative evaluations of human well-being. According to the Government, the poverty index used misrepresents Ireland's position, because it is based on out of date statistics. In fact these are the latest ones available and have been provided by State agencies to international organisations. Other states are measured in the same way, validating the comparisons made. It is not good enough to reject these findings by quoting different indices of poverty, using absolute rather than relative figures. Despite the welcome increase in incomes and employment Ireland is an unequal society in which many remain socially excluded.