Estonian Human Development Report

CHAPTER 7
Human development
and social risks in
Estonia in the context of
the economic crisis
How would you rate the social sustainability
of the Estonian society in its current state of
development, where growth has turned into
decline?
When we analyze human development in Estonia in the
context of the current economic crisis, we inevitably focus
on questions that are different from those asked a year
ago. During the period of economic growth, the fact that
human development lagged behind economic development
was at the centre of our attention as proof that we
needed to invest more resources in social development.
Although the gap between Estonia’s level of economic
development and, for example, public health has not narrowed
during the past year, we now have much more reason
to see human development as a resource that allows
(or does not allow) a society to survive difficulties.
What have been the results of the rapid
economic growth during the period 2004–
2008 with regard to the material and social
quality of life of the Estonian population?
Looking back, many of the authors who participated in
preparing the chapters of the Human Development Report
agree that the years 2004–2008 marked an unprecedented
period in Estonian history in terms of the fast growth in
people’s well-being, which was reflected in the high levels
of satisfaction with life. On the on hand, there was a
slight decrease in income disparity and a smaller number
of people lived in poverty or were at risk of poverty. On the
other hand, an increasingly large percentage of the society
reached a quality of life comparable to that of wealthy
countries in terms of their level of consumption. It can be
said that the economic growth of recent years was accompanied
in Estonia by an increased sense of security among
the middle class. People’s social self images were affected
more and more by the attitudes and opportunities characteristic
of an information and consumer society. Meanwhile,
there was also an increase in carefree consumerism,
importance attributed to items as well as social passiveness.
Furthermore, the gaps between the quality of life of
the older generation and the younger generation grew, as
did the gaps between the quality of life in different regions.
The disparity between the opportunities for self-realization
that existed between the Estonia-speaking population
and the Russian-speaking population persisted.
What are the greatest social risks and weak
points that endanger human development
at this stage of development in the Estonian
society?
The most significant problem that poses a serious danger
to the quality of life of the Estonian population is low life
expectancy, especially in the case of men, which is primarily
the result of social and behavioural causes, as well as
the scarcity of healthy and active life years available for both
men and women. Despite women’s longer life expectancy,
their period of active participation in society is, on average,
as short as that of men, as they become dependent on welfare
services and the health care system relatively early in their
old age. Careless health behaviour, described in the Human
Development Report as a cause for the loss of life and working
years and the resulting effect on the development of the
Estonian economy, is one of the most topical problems in
Estonia. The goal for the next decade is to increase the average
lifespan of men and women in Estonia as well as to support
the active participation of the elderly in the society. It
is time to mobilize the entire society for the achievement of
this goal, including state institutions, health and education
systems, civil society, as well as all families and communication
networks. We have sufficient information on the dismal
situation and know how we should act. We need the state
and the public to strive towards a common goal and to be
able to take specific steps in order to make Estonia a healthier
living environment, despite economic difficulties.
The problems related to public health are related to a
wider set of issues regarding values, lifestyles, human relations,
upbringing, and culture. Thus, another risk area, in
addition to health, is the variety of problems related to young
people’s lifestyles and values as well as their quality of life.
The latter has been shaped by the sudden increase in the
availability of material opportunities and has resulted in the
spread of social risks that seriously threaten the social sustainability
of the Estonian society during the next decades.
The facts presented in the Human Development Report
regarding alcoholism, school bullying, the lack of contacts
between young people and the older generation point to the
inability of the youth’s socialization environment (which
includes family, school, recreational environment outside
153 |