RIGHT TO OPPORTUNITY-the other side of the Coin

Bearing in mind the right to an adequate standard of living, including food, contained in the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, we pledge to act in solidarity to ensure that the freedom from hunger becomes a reality- World Declaration o Nutrition 1992 
 

Opportunity can be defined as the means through which human beings find the wherewithal to function in the society as consumers. The existence of opportunity gives a person the freedom of enlargement of his activities (both economic as well as social) in the dynamics of participatory governance. 

However, it is necessary to distinguish between social and economic opportunities. By social opportunity, we mean the opportunities that exist as well as needed for the stability and functioning of the social structure. 

Economic opportunity is different from the social opportunity, and such opportunities enable the human being to become economically independent. 

At same time, these opportunities are not mutually exclusive, but can be termed as opposite sides of the same coin. In other words, both the social and economic opportunity are interlinked, i.e. they can affect each other. 

After defining opportunity, it is necessary to define why it is a right. The issue of right to opportunity can be approached from the point of view of the fulfilment of the basic needs. Then the question is what a common consumer would say with respect to basic needs, " I require the fulfilment of my basic need to not only survive, but to lead a dignified life food clothing, shelter, health care, drinking water and sanitation, education, energy and transportation." 

However by " survive" it is not meant to approach the issue from the perspective of social Darwinism. Otherwise this could lead to the exclusion of a large number of people from socio-economic development. Therefore, he/she asserts " Charity I want not, but opportunities to acquire my basic needs to enable me to work and to earn my living without exploitation". 

The issue of basic needs to be analysed from both the demanded as well as the supply side. The demand side dimension takes into account three interrelated issues: availability, ability and access to goods and services. 

Availability is the first stage –whether the goods and services are physically available or not. 
Though production of goods and services would face systemic problems without the existence of the right environment. However the real issue is the relationship between the rights to opportunity, and the ability for acquiring – access to – goods and services. 

By definition, ability means the purchasing capacity of a person. And unless the person has the right opportunities, he/she will not have sustainable purchasing power. 

On the other hand, the issue of access has both economic as well as sociological dimensions. The economic dimension of the issue rests mainly on the harmony between needs and means i.e. the requirement and the capacity to acquire. 

For example, even when goods and services are available, and people are able to enjoy them, they may not have access due to the existence of discord and disharmony in the society itself. Such problems are mainly because of the non-existence of vertical mobility of people i.e. raising the living standards. 

On the demand side, the issue is analysed in the framework of three P's: production, pattern and policy. In turn each of these dimensions are related with the issue of the right to opportunity. 

First, there is a direct relation between the level of production (availability of goods and services) and the volume of opportunities. In other words, as production level rise, opportunity per se increases, but not the distribution of opportunities, necessarily. 

Secondly, the pattern of existing production sustains the existing opportunities. Skewed patterns can upset the apple cart, such as producing cash crops for exports can diminish food security. And third, both the existing as well as the future policy on production- that addresses the social needs- creates new opportunities to explore and exploit. Thus enabling a larger mass of consumer to be socially mobile. This has been the history of affluent nations. 

The above mentioned analysis briefly discusses the right to opportunity from the following view point- what opportunity is; and why it is needed. Then, the missing link in the analysis is how this right can be fulfilled. This is briefly discussed as follows: 

• The first requirement is that of ensuring the steady supply of goods and services to the people at large:
• Secondly, the state has to play vital role- not only in the steady supply of goods and services but also in enhancing people's capacity to acquire them; and
• Finally, an egalitarian socio- political environment is to be created to ensure people's access to basic goods and services.
The rationale is not that of growth with equity but growth through equity. Without the right to opportunity, the right to satisfy basic needs is incomplete. 

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