Perfect
Political
Alexander Liss
Growth of global economy and massive entry
in it of new players including new workers proved to be challenging to existing
socio-economic order.
A mass of current job-holders is threatened
with reduced compensation or outright disappearance of their source of income.
While new economic situation provides new opportunities, the existing
socio-economic order does not allow the majority of current job-holders to
explore them. Their skills are not valued any more or outright not needed and
the mechanisms protecting their jobs (as unions) are failing.
It is obviously a political issue, but too
many players in all strata of society do not have any desire to change the
existing system, because such change would threaten their social position.
It is obvious what has to be done.
One cannot wait until one’s job disappears;
one has to acquire new skills, market them and negotiate new compensation for
them, preferably a better compensation than current one.
This new mode of social functioning
requires massive government support. A new system of adult education has to
emerge. It should be supported with restructured taxation and direct government
subsidies.
This system of adult education should
provide real opportunity to acquire new marketable skills to a mass of people
and it should allow a person to turn to it again and again to acquire a new
skill set, when a previous one becomes less marketable.
The benefits of this approach are numerous;
however resistance to it is strong. In spite of obvious need for it and
governments spending enormous amount of money to stimulate economy, there is no
money allocated for this purpose.
Hence a perfect political battle is
looming. Those who want more dynamic, freer society will advocate for this new
education system and will gather support of voters behind such an obvious idea.
Those who try to maintain existing order and their existing privileges will
resist it, in spite of pressures of global economy.