Economic Cost of Human Capital Loss from Fiji: Implications for Sustainable Development1

Small island nations in the South Pacific are facing a serious problem of loss of human capital. The loss of skilled and qualified personnel from the small pool is causing a major setback in terms of providing the technical expertise to forge ahead with reform programs that these economies are undertaking. Fiji's policymakers are increasingly confronting this issue, because the nation has experienced a massive outflow of skilled labor following the political instability in 1987. While there is an outflow of skilled labor, the country is also losing a large amount of financial capital. The extent of the outflow has yet to be measured due to lack of a methodology. This study advances a methodology to measure the loss to the economy arising out of human capital loss in a small island economy.     

Social Sector Priorities: An Analysis of Budgets and Expenditures in India in the 1990s

Many policies in India, including economic reform policies, are officially intended to alleviate poverty. But how committed is the Indian government? And to what? This article addresses India's social spending priorities over the past decade. Looking at the rhetoric in budget speeches, actual expenditure patterns and the process by which budgets are formulated, it finds a widened concept of poverty and a shift away from income and employment programmes to human development. The budget‐making process is not very participatory, and the role of the Finance Ministry has increased. Although the widening of the concept of poverty has positive aspects, within the overall context of structural adjustment it has facilitated the politically convenient neglect of other dimensions (income and employment).