Monday, February 20, 2017

What an Average Performance Would Look Like

For Mauritius. 5-6% real GDP growth, a stable currency of Rs25/USD and progressive taxation. Energy costs sensitive to decreases and increases in international prices. Unemployment brought down to 6-7% once it is measured properly. Underemployment heading south too. Savings reverting to average pre-Shaitanomics levels of 25%. Productive investments encouraged. Speculative investments discouraged. Reducing national frustration with some basic policies. Like proclaiming beaches as public spaces. Not deproclaiming any beaches. Preserving the views of Mauritius. Waging total war against diabetes. Not doing anything blatantly stupid like signing TISA. That too behind our backs.

And what would an economic miracle look like? I guess lowering the retirement age to 55 or less. Definitely a surging currency: a good start would be an average 2% annual appreciation against the USD from the base above. Along with higher growth rates. Plus an infinite number of thoughtful little things.

Miracle not happening for sure. In fact an average performance looks increasingly out of reach. There's too much ambient stupidity. But that can be reduced. Like by releasing the water sector reform report of the World Bank. For a start.

3 comments:

akagugo said...

That's already a workable electoral programme, if you ask me. Simple, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (if we assume we give ourselves a real term to put these into action).
You already got my vote.

Sanjay Jagatsingh said...

Bringing back progressive taxation will allow the economy to breathe better. And that will solve plenty of problems. Building our savings back to their healthy pre-bean-counting levels will take time but we would be able to feel the improvement in a couple of years. The other measures will help the return of good vibrations.

Sanjay Jagatsingh said...

Alalila, enn green belt ti pu enn bon kumansman.