THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nobel laureate and economist Prof Joseph E Stiglitz said the factors that have contributed to Kerala’s success are “competent government institutions, competent administration, participatory democracy and decentralisation, a reliance on science and the continued importance given to planning”. He advised Kerala to reduce its dependence on remittances from the Gulf countries as the world is moving away from oil and has started using renewable energy sources as part of the efforts to deal with global warming.
Delivering the keynote address at ‘Kerala Looks Ahead’, a global virtual conference organised by the Kerala State Planning Board which began here on Monday, he emphasised the importance of planning by arguing that “markets are shortsighted”, and “that’s why we need government leadership working with the private sector and civil society” to address future challenges. It is important for Kerala, therefore, to formulate its own economic strategy.
Two key principles for Kerala are ‘diversification’ and ‘building on current strengths’, he added. Prof Stiglitz said: “Kerala needs to work ahead as, by 2050, the world will be largely dependent on renewable energy. It is imperative for Kerala to think ahead and create more jobs within the state. It cannot be dependent on remittances,” he said. “ Kerala should strengthen its own productive capacity and generate employment in diverse areas within the state”, he added.
Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO), noted that health outcomes in Kerala were “comparable to the highest in the world” and that “recent data from NFHS-5 (National Family Health Survey 2019-20) showed progress in many indicators such as infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate”.