It’s often claimed that social equity and economic competitiveness are contradictory values. In the quest to be more competitive, the argument goes, countries need to sacrifice social equity. And when you build and equitable society, you will lose out in global economy.

But a series of studies on equity and competitiveness, carried out by the European Training Foundation (ETF) and experts from five countries in EU neighbourhood, show that, at least in the context of human capital development, more equitable societies are also better prepared to face economic competition.

The research was done in Armenia, Egypt, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Ukraine from 2008 to 2010.  Experts and stakeholders in ETF-led research met in Turin on 24 and 25 May. They exchanged experience from the studies and tried to find out how to invest in education and training to contribute to social and economic development.

‘Opportunities to learn and develop should be for open to all,’ said Siria Taurelli, an ETF expert, who coordinated the studies. ‘Failing in this makes not only individuals miss their chance, but also the societies and economies.’

A developed human capital—knowledge, skills, competencies that help people create well-being—supports social equity and economic competitiveness, and, in a case of virtuous circle, more equitable and competitive societies provide for better human capital.

‘Until recently, people we considered a burden, they were too many, they were a problem to control, to guide,’ said Mona ElBaradei, who led the research in Egypt. ‘’The revolution showed that people are the main asset of our country.’

Jean-Paul Peresson, an international expert and key note speaker at ETF event in Turin, said that as ‘today’s economies are based on knowledge, human capital is a critical factor in competitiveness.’ ETF study suggests however that for human capital to help in competitiveness, people must have equitable access, quality and choice in learning.

Find out more

Equity and Competitiveness - Final Paper