Quoting the Scottish Adam Smith, the master Jesús Silva Herzog liked to repeat that “No society can prosper or be happy if the majority of its inhabitants are poor or miserable.” Poverty is undoubtedly the greatest enemy of human happiness, both at the individual and social level.
In Mexico, poverty is the biggest social problem. And despite the great efforts and enormous progress made in the last six years to combat, reduce and mitigate this scourge, poverty and extreme poverty continue to be central characters in the lives of millions of Mexicans.
Poverty is a multifaceted and multi-level phenomenon. Those who have drinking water are less poor than those who do not. Those who have a monetary income are also less poor than those who do not.
Those who have social security are less poor than those who are not. Those who have access to school are less poor than those who cannot attend school. The same can be said of housing, drainage, electricity, clothing and footwear. Almost by definition, it can be said that those who do not have shoes cannot be classified as anything other than very poor.
Therefore, all social efforts and programs aimed at reducing and eliminating poverty, as is currently being done in Mexico, should be welcomed and expanded.
Sustained increases in wages are a good way to reduce poverty. And the same can be said about promoting employment. Or combating unemployment, which is a similar thing.
Among the best and most important social measures to combat and eradicate poverty are universal basic income programs, that is, the allocation of a monetary income without any compensation to all inhabitants of a country from the cradle to the grave.
This was done for a good part of the twentieth century in the Scandinavian countries, and also, to a lesser extent and depth, in many other nations.
These public policies were called the Welfare State. For decades, Mexico has had a program of almost completely free school breakfasts and snacks. And for decades, there has also been a program of providing free textbooks.
But there is no doubt that in Mexico the most advanced and comprehensive program to combat and mitigate poverty is the pension for the elderly. And the universal scholarships for students and aid to other vulnerable sectors of the population are also magnificent.
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