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Revisiting the MDG’s: Exploring a Multidimensional Framework for Human
Development
conditions of her family, her share in the domestic
work, cultural sensitivities towards female education
and accessible educational institutions.
It needs to be realized that transformatory goals like
gender parity entail action across all the basic
capabilities, predominantly within the spaces of
personal circumstances and conversion factor. Equality
and its most vital province-gender parity, do not
constitute a capabilities deficit per se but are the
manifestations of the handicaps within the above two
spaces that is endemic to all the human capabilities. It
therefore calls for action within these spaces well before
entitlements in the space of resources are decided.
Some of the most important causal factors of child
mortality like the lack of hygiene, undernourishment
and improper medication based on superstitions, rituals
and social taboos, fall within the space of personal
circumstances, but the goal gauges progress towards its
target of two third reduction in child mortality by the
indicators of immunization (resources) and under five
and infant mortality rates (conversion factors). The goal
of arresting the prevalence of child mortality is
essentially preventive in nature and therefore requires
concentrated action towards need realization and need
identification. It is need realization in the case of
recipients to make them aware of the adequacy of
appropriate action and need identification in the case of
development project to properly channelize resources
and ensure the provision of conversion factors. The
spaces of resources and conversion factor, on which the
goal focuses, are primarily geared towards need
fulfilment which occupies only secondary importance in
preventive goals.
Education and information, together with
enfranchisement are critical determinants for preventive
goals. Increased entitlements in the spaces of resources
and conversion factors could only produce meaningful
results in such goals if people are capable of making
informed choices. Where the sequence of popular
choices is directed against the form and method of any
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