Canadas Current Economic Situation - 1285 Words

An analysis of Canada s current economic situation depicts the nation to be under stress. Ottawa s current fiscal policy aims to operate under a budget deficit which has the potential to take several years before balancing itself. A balanced budget may take longer to achieve than expected should the government of Canada not raise taxes or cut national spending.(Blatchford) In chapters eleven and twelve of Dinner Party Economics, Evie Adomait and Richard Mantra investigate macroeconomic policies and how they pertain to the economy of our nation. It is critical to investigate political views and the differences in opinions between left wing and right wing ideologies regarding the economy. The results of these decisions and debates are what create the basis for Canada s overall macroeconomic policies. A study of macroeconomics allows one to understand the current situation of Canada s economy. In chapter 3 of Dinner Party economics, measures of life, liberty, and happiness are described by analyzing the macro economy. In the study of human happiness, three factors are known to contribute the happiness of people which includes demographic traits, economic factors, and political factors.(p. 18) Certain governments have separate policies regarding inflation and unemployment. These political factors are related to economic factors which can ultimately determine the happiness of the general population.(p. 20) Chapter 3 also describes how identifying catalysts of happiness isShow MoreRelatedAir Canadas Business Case Study1210 Words   |  5 Pagesregistered pension plans, supplemental pension plans and international pension plans. Air Canada’s pension funding obligations may vary significantly based on a wide variety of factors. Any changes to these factors may result in an increase in Air Canada’s obligations. 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In 2013, it creates over 618,000 employment opportunities and over 170,000 tourism businesses generating $84 billion in tourism revenue as well as $33billion to GDP. Therefore, tourism is seen as Canada’s No 1 service export sectorRead MoreCanada s Current Issue Of Canada1729 Words   |  7 PagesCurrently, Canada’s economic base is quite strong considering its developed status and demographic factors. These include the birth rate death rate, GDP, natural increase rate, dependancy load, life expectancy, etc. Also, I will explain the current immigration situation in Canada, its importance, and its potential future, as well as further factors that may effect the immigration to Canada. I will also briefly write about Canada’s First Nation peopl e, their current situation residing in Canada, andRead MoreThe Tale of the Canadian and U.S. Housing Markets1134 Words   |  5 PagesThe Tale of Two Housing Markets â€Å"Why didn’t Canada’s housing market go bust?† This is a question that has attracted interest from economists, market researchers, and the general public as a whole. The Canadian and U.S housing markets are moderately comparable in numerous respects, but when it comes to the financial crisis both countries resulted in extremely diverse ways. There are many things that can be attributed to the different outcomes of both countries, including: lending standards, rise

Beethoven’s 8th Symphony, 4th Movement Narrative - 2154 Words

November 30, 2011 The Not so Little Symphony Classical music has many purposes: it can move the listener with different emotions, it can relate to an occasion, or tell a story. For Beethoven, having a storyline in musical pieces was significant, through the chords and notes he conveyed struggles that related to him and could be linked to the general public. Whether it was a physical struggle or a social struggle, most of Beethoven’s earlier pieces evoke a protagonist that had to overcome an obstacle, which through persistence and determination became victorious, but we see that changing as Beethoven moves to his later period. Instead of having a protagonist struggling to achieve heroism, the struggle becomes more about whether fate was†¦show more content†¦It would be as if the second theme was screaming or calling at the first theme, but the first theme is unable to hear In light of Beethoven’s own deafness, there is obviously considerable irony here. The c-sharp may be taken as an indication of deafness , more specifically, of Beethoven’s own deafness, just like the c-sharp in the Eroica symphony. Rather than a potential tragedy to be heroically overcome by the protagonist, an interaction conflict is taken here as a source of humor and Beethoven shows the first glimpse of the continuous mocking this movement will have against heroism. At this point we are still puzzled of the irrelevant roaring of the c-sharp. Finally after much irritating battles the pushy c-sharp leads eventually to the f-sharp minor in the coda. The unconfident first theme that we hear in the exposition gradually becomes more heard and self-assured which ultimately becomes the F-major we see in the coda. The start of gradual unification of the two themes shown in the beginning of the development shows the gradual merging between heroism and divinity. In the coda the themes are unified and instead of sounding like two different themes competing against one another, they now sound like one continuous them e. This F-major resembles the storyline of the skilled, crippled alienated god of fire. Being so similar, it is practical to assume that the protagonist can also be the fallen god Hephaestus in the fourth movement of the eighth symphony.

The couple embraced on the doorstep and entered the house Essay Example For Students

The couple embraced on the doorstep and entered the house Essay The couple embraced on the doorstep and entered the house. They fell onto the bed and began to make love. They were too engrossed in each other to notice events around them. The birds, the burning of the tea, and the man, creeping out of the shadows. His friends said he was as quiet as a mouse. He did not like that expression. He preferred the name death! The sun rose slowly above the horizon, casting its pinkish glow across Schezhuan. In the light, the sign Schezhuan Noodle Factory could be read on the side of a huge grey concrete building. A short stumpy man waddled up to the small red door in the side of the factory and forced his large brass key into the hole in the door. The badge on his chest informed everyone that he was, in fact, Long-How Thae, the factory manager. He was typical in Chinese appearance for someone of his age. Balding head of black hair, squat face and a shirt that had so many buttons undone, it was a wonder how it didnt fall open. As he opened the door on what he thought was going to be another uneventful day, a scene met his eyes. A scene of complete carnage. His factory was a complete mess, that machines all broken, and the night workers. Shit! he thought. He ran at an amazing pace for a man of his stature across to the other side of the room where his four night watchmen lay on the floor in a pool of blood. All tied up together and slumped against a concrete pillar, a single shot through each of their heads, and their guns, laying next to them. Long-How put down the phone, relieved that the police were on their way. He wondered whether to report his wife missing at the same time. She had only be gone a night. Long-How realised that his wife had been going out most evenings and had been returning later and later each time. They had had a row about these late nights and she stormed out and still hadnt returned. No. The police will have enough on their plates. Shell come back. Five minutes later, the police turned up along with two ambulances and a C. S. I. team. The paramedics ran across to the four men, but when they saw the state they were in, they lost the urgency about them. All their energy just seemed to flow from them. A tall muscular policeman walked up to Long-How. He had a small Hitler style moustache. It seemed extremely out of a place on a Chinese man. Hi, Im Sam Peng, he said as he strongly shook Log-Hows hand. Hi, came the weak reply. Meng Ni sat slumped in his large office. It was extremely well equipped with leather chairs and fine mahogany tables. Two men, almost identical, stood on the opposite side of the room to the tall, lean yet fearsome looking Meng. The office was that of Helterok Noodle Factory, a large fine looking wooden building on the outside, which was even more impressive on the inside. Meng took a long draw from what can only be described as a huge, fat Cuban cigar, and let out a long breath of smoke which bellowed its way up towards the ceiling, all the time circling round and around before being dispersed around the room by a small bamboo fan in the centre of the ceiling. Meng watched repeated this a few times, watching the smoke closely each in time. Is it done, he said simply, still watching the ceiling. Yes. The factory is crippled and I killed all I found. It was extremely easy considering they were all armed and I wasnt. I believe that my brother has also done his part. Have you, asked Meng, finally drawing his gaze from the smoke to lay his eyes upon the two nervous men against the wall. Of course, said the second man in a rather sheepish voice. Yelip Orpfars is dead. He was with another woman. I killed her too. I hope you will not disapprove. Was she pretty? Very. Then perhaps you should have brought her to me. Go, my assistant will pay you. The two men walked out of the room and Meng swung his chair around to look out the window. On the horizon, the village of Schezhuan could be made out with its unmistakable noodle factory rising high above all the other buildings. Meng simply laughed. For years now he had felt angered by the Schezhuan Noodle Factory, opening as rivals to his factory. Offering cheaper noodles. And even though his Helterok Noodles were of course the best, his overheads went down, and Long-How made a small fortune within a month. For some reason, Meng still felt angry. Then it dawned on him. He swung sharply, His think black eyebrows pointing downwards, almost meeting in the middle of his forehead. His head of black hair drawn into a ponytail at the back of his head. A small wisp of hair grew on his chin. All of it seemed to quiver in madness with him. He picked up his phone and called his assistant. Are the Tei brothers still there? Good. Send them back through. Theres one more thing I want. Long-How slumped back in his armchair next to the fire. There was no point on him being at work while the C. S. I. was there so he decided to come home. He looked across at the village of Schezhuan. It consisted of about a hundred houses, all of which were built for and housed the workers of Long-Hows factory. They would now be without work while the factory was re-established and Long-How would be without any form of income. Form the noodles or the rent, as the workers would have no money. He gazed at the sun, now directly overhead. Essay on Cyber Crime and BusinessesHe had managed to manipulate the local government and they agreed that the administrators should take a backbench and just watch what Meng was doing with all the money that he obtained. He gazed at the door of reception at the front of the building. He wasnt sure how, but he could tell that trouble was about to come through the door. Open the door and let the man through up to my office! These words echoed around the factory and the workers looked up at the boss looking down at them. The guards at the front of the factory rushed up to the door and pulled it open. Meng turned back and returned to his office. About a minute later, a guard entered the office. Sir, its Lo à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" I am aware who it is Hey, replied Meng. But Sir, hes armed. I know! Very well Sir. With this the guard stepped back outside the office. A rush of air could be heard, shortly before a large amount of blood covered the floor and wall of Mengs door and surrounding office. That, was unnecessary Long-How! Long-How stepped through the door and into sight of Meng, who did not seem too disheartened by the fact that he had just witnessed the death of a human. Long-How gazed up at Meng and noticed the samurai sword, high up in a glass case above Mengs case. With simply a raise of his hand, Meng smashed through the case and grabbed the sword inside, holding into it as if it were his lifeblood. You were Samurai too? asked Long-How, the words still not relenting his anger and tension in the room. No. I am a Samurai. Mengs small fat lips grew into a wide smile and a row of sparkling white perfect teeth could be seen. Long-How simply stood there and penetrated Mengs eyes with his stare. Why dont you crawl back to youre factory, or I will have to make you get down on youre hands and knees and make you beg me to ram this sword down youre throat. Samurais dont give up merely in the face of death, and with this, they both let out their own ancient samurai chants as they charged at each other. Long-How vaulted a table and jumped high above Meng, swinging down his sword with an almighty force. Just in time, Meng managed to force his sword in between his opponents and his skull. Long-How carried in his jump and turned around as he landed. Yes. It had all come back. Long-How gazed down at his sword. Once more, the two combatants leapt into fearsome action, both deflecting powerful blows and both showing that they were still two of the best samurai fighters in the world. Blow after blow came, unrelenting. The sound of clashing swords echoed around the factory floor and drove the workers to stop and look up at the two silhouettes locked in almighty combat. They danced around the room, leaping over both swings of the sword and any pieces of furniture that happened to get in their way. Beads of sweat hung onto their faces, like climbers, eager to avoid the drop to the floor, but the inevitable happened as the men swung their heads this way and that and the beads were dissipated across the room. Patterns were drawn on the wall from the light, which repeatedly glinted from the blades as they danced around the room, occasionally entwining to perform a move or two together. After a particularly vicious move pulled by Long-How which completely caught Meng by surprise, but which he managed to deflect nevertheless, the two men stood on opposite sides of the room to each other, stationary. Just eyeing each other. All of a sudden, without any form of warning. Meng charged with amazing speed from the other side of the room. He leapt into the air. He pushed his blade forward and slammed it hard into Long-Hows stomach. At exactly the same time, Long-How raised his and pushed it into Mengs right eye. Even though he was losing his energy, constantly draining out of his body, dripping into the floor from his wound in his midriff, Long-How managed to summon the energy to drive the blade further into Mengs head. The hilt touched the forehead of the now deceased and Long-How relaxed his grip and collapsed onto the floor, shortly followed by the limp body of Meng Ni. Long-How merely looked at his dead fighting partner and smiled. He reckoned that he was the only person to have ever smiled with a two-foot samurai sword in his belly. He felt that justice had been done. He rolled on to his back and the sword was pushed out of his body by the green carpet, now black across a wide area due to the sheer amount of blood that had been sent across it by the fact that a majority of Mengs eyes and brain now lay on the floor, having been sent out the back of the skull. Long-How lay there for about three minutes, dreaming of his wife, and remembering the moment he had killed Meng Ni. His breathing grew slower, and slower, but even though he felt that he wanted to die and join his wife, he still felt scared. But doesnt everyone when they are about to die?

Mauritius, Social Housing Social Movement and Low Income Housing in Mauritius free essay sample

Social Housing Social Movement and Low Income Housing in Mauritius Abstract: The Republic of Mauritius has been a model success story in both economic and social progress among both the African nations and the whole world. Despite many odds, the country has made tremendous economic progress and has succeeded at the same time to uplift significantly the living standards of the population in general. This paper gives an overview of the matter of the low-income housing in Mauritius. The first part of the paper gives the economical background and the evolution of the social movement in Mauritius. The second part introduces the current housing conditions and the situation of poverty and low-income groups in Mauritius. Finally the strategy of social housing is discussed. The Mauritius social housing strategy is discussed in terms of the changes in the institutional structure, and policies. Then the types of social housing and their financing are introduced. We will write a custom essay sample on Mauritius, Social Housing: Social Movement and Low Income Housing in Mauritius or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Keywords: Mauritius; Welfare State; Social Housing; Low Income Households AUTAR Bhotish Awtar | | Matric No: 2011280122 | Masters Candidate Tsinghua University | School of Architecture | Department of Urban Planning Please submit any feedback to [emailprotected] om Submitted to: |[emailprotected] tsinghua. edu. cn | Submission date: 17th June 2012 Introduction At independence, Mauritius did not appear predestined for the progress that followed. Challenges included: extreme cultural diversity as well as racial inequality; power concentrated in a small elite (of French British colonial descendants); high unemployment; and high population growth. The country suffered from an economic crisis throughout the 1970s, was remote from world markets and was commodity dependent. It also exhibited low initial levels of human development. Nobel Laureate for Economics, James Meade even said in 1961, as quoted below: â€Å"It is going to be a great achievement if Mauritius can find productive employment for its population without a serious reduction in the existing standard of living The outlook for peaceful development is poor† Despite multiple factors stacked against it, Mauritius has achieved stellar progress in economic conditions, and has been unique in its ability to take advantage of privileged access to international markets to develop in a sustained and equitable manner. This has been enabled and complemented by effective poverty reduction and equitable improvements in human development. These achievements have been made by means of: a concerted strategy of nation building; strong and inclusive institutions; high levels of equitable public investment in human development; and a pragmatic development strategy (Vandemoortele, 2010). This success against all odds was coined as the ‘Mauritian Miracle’. In independence year of 1968, the country’s GDP per capita was US$ 2601, and in 2010, the figure rose to around US$ 14,0002 in 2010. Comparatively, in 2010 the average GNI per capita (PPP) for Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 2,1083. During the same period of 1968 to 2010, population rose from 787,000 to 1,281,0004. In 2011, an expectancy of life of 73 years5 at birth and the country had a Human Development Index (HDI) score of 7. 26, compared with an average of 4. 6 in the Sub-Saharan African region. The country was also ranked highest on the Earth Institute’s World Happiness Index among the Sub-Saharan African countries7, leaving behind Botswana and South Africa, other regional economic champions. Socialist movement in Mauritius Mauritius is a welfare state. It has a comprehensive social security system for the whole population and various other social protection schemes. Education is free from primary to university level, with 1 2 Source: IFAD, 2005 For 2010, GDP per capita (PPP) of US$ 14,194, according to IMF, 2011 World Economic Outlook, and GNI per capital (PPP) of 13,960 (units International Dollar) according to World Bank, 2011 3 (units International Dollar) according to World Bank, 2011 4 Figures for population for Republic of Mauritius is from various open source, such as Mauritius CSO, World Bank and other online open data sources. Source: UN Statistics, from WorldBank. org 6 Source: http://hdr. undp. org 7 Mauritius Ranking 64th out of 156 countries with 5. 5 points, on a 0-10 scale, 0 being extremely unhappy and 10 being extremely happy compulsory education up to age of 16. Health care including tertiary care, like heart surgery) is also free. Basic foodstuffs (rice and flour) as well as housing for lower middle-income group are heavily subsidized. Income support is provided to household with low income. The government provides nnual grants to a number of NGOs that cater for the specific needs of handicapped persons and vulnerable groups (Deerpalsingh, 2011). There are also price controls on some other commodities such as cement, petroleum products, bread, onions and edible oils. The state plays a key role in social welfare and security. In fact, expenditure on community and social services attracts the largest share of total government expenditure. The percentage out of total government expenditure spent on health, education, social security and welfare, and housing, over the period 1980 to 1988 averaged 43% and by 1999 was as high as 52%. Preferential access to markets in the European Union and the USA has facilitated this strong welfare state (Bundoo, 2006) The construction of a comprehensive welfare state in Mauritius did not emerge out of a smooth and steady process. Each of the three episodes of welfare reform the formal introduction of noncontributory old-age pensions in 1950, family allowances in 1962 and social insurance in 1976-1978, were borne out of long-periods of deliberation and procrastination from the colonial officials (Phaahla, 2000). It took riots by unorganized sugar estate workers in the late 1930’s and strong trade unions today, to obtain and maintain a particularly socialist environment in the country, despite, a very open and capitalist market economy in Mauritius, it has been succeeded to preserve a considerable labor protection and benefit to the workers. In the more modern times, the social movement is directly related to the democratic governmental system. Around every five years general elections are held, and the public’s voting of a certain party is very sensitive to the economic and social conditions of the country. In many instances in the history, after independence, the government has been ‘overthrown’ out of office, as sanction voting by the population, due to bad economic and social performances. The most popular example, would perhaps in the 1982, elections when the government in office, with the ‘father of the nation’ as the head of the country, faced the worse possible defeat. This was because the unemployment and other economic and social indicators were all in the red. In terms of social services, Mauritius has been practicing a s ‘five pillar’ model as advocated by the World Bank in a report in 2005. But, it is worth noting that the five-pillar system in Mauritius was completed as far back as 1994. So, Mauritius had already been implementing the social model for 11 years (Deerpalsingh, 2011). Providing decent shelter for low-income groups has been another major social priority of the government. In the face of the rising price of rented accommodation, the government initiated projects for the construction of working-class flats in different parts of the country. The National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC) was set up in order to expedite large-scale construction of low-cost housing. House ownership grew from 66 per cent in 1983 to almost 93 per cent in 20018. Current Housing Conditions To understand the access to housing to the low income household, it is important to understand the general housing condition of the Mauritian. This helps in explaining the ownership policies and housing types that are provided to those who have financial difficulty in possessing a shelter comparable to his fellow countryman. With around $ 14,000 per capita GDP (PPP), Mauritius currently has a relatively high housing quality. In the 2011 Housing survey, it was noted that around 89% of the building stock in the country were residential building (with 85% wholly residential). Of which, 77% were separate housing units, 12% were semi detached or apartment types and 5% are mixed residential-commercial. In Mauritius, traditionally the houses are self-constructed by assigning small contractors to the job, who solely rely on their experience and owners design expectations. For medium and large projects, bigger contractors and construction specialists like architects and engineers are employed. The construction of houses were 92% of concrete walls and roof, 3% concrete walls and iron sheet roofs, and 5% were made out of wood and iron sheets. Although the human settlement patterns in Mauritius is quite dispersed, in terms of basic amenities, almost all (more than 99%) of the houses were connected to nation electricity grid and water systems. 96% of all the housing units had running water in the bathrooms and had modern flush toilets facilities. 8% had their waste collected regularly by municipality or other authorized companies. Almost all the housing units in Mauritius are privately owned, 99% in 2011, among which only 12% were reported to be mortgaged. An astonishing low percentage of 0. 3% of housing units was reported to be public housing in the same year. In terms of the tenure rate of the housing in 2011, 89% of the residents were owner of the hous e they were living in, compared to 8% who were renting or sub-renting. Another 3% were living for free in the housing provided by relatives or employers. It is interesting to note that the average monthly rent in 2000 was Rs 2,300 and increased to Rs 4,400 in 2011, however after adjustment for inflation, the housing rent actually remained the same as 2000. Poverty in Mauritius In 2010, the National Empowerment Fund that was created in 2005 to reduce poverty had enumerated around 70009 households in 225 regions of the country. These represented the families that were most in need of social help. But, the definition of poverty in Mauritius is quite versatile. 8 Bundoo 2006, p175 Exactly 6983 families that lived under national poverty line; According to NEF, Poches de pauvrete, downloaded from http://nef. mu 9 Using the poverty line $1. 25 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) per person per day, and data from the 2001/02 and 2006/07 Household Budget Surveys, the proportion of poor people in Mauritius is estimated by the Central Statistics Office to be below 1% in both 2001/02 and 2006/07. For developing countries like Mauritius, the $2 a day poverty line is more relevant. Even, using this line, the proportion of poor people is estimated to be less than 1. % in 2001/02 and 2006/07 household income surveys. So, the concept of ‘extreme poverty’ (as internationally defined) is not used in Mauritius. Instead, the concept of ‘relative poverty’ is used. Relative poverty is assessed using data collected at Household Budget Survey (HBS) and a relative poverty line defined on the basis of median household incomes. Household income c omprises income from employment, property, transfer, income from own produced goods and services and imputed rent for non-renting households. Data published by the CSO in the 2001/02 and 2006/07 Household Budget Surveys indicate that the percentage of households having income below the half median increased from 13. 1% in 2001/02 to 14. 3% in 2006/07. Average monthly household income for the poor is estimated at Rs 7,055 against Rs 22,242 for all households. The poverty line was fixed at Rs 3,821, which is the half median monthly income per adult equivalent. So, the official figure for poverty in Mauritius in 2007/07 was 26,400 households, or 7. 9% of the total 335,000 households in Mauritius. This concerned 8. 5% of the national population. From the 2007 Poverty Report, it can be also seen that 55% of the total government expenditure went to ‘Community and Social Services’. Monthly public transfers (social security benefits paid by government) derived by the poorest decile group of households was estimated at Rs 1,367 per household in 2006/07. Public transfers for poorest decile represented 22% of their total household disposable income against 2. 4% for the richest decile. Public transfers were found to be significant on bringing down poverty; it is estimated that if public transfers would have been discontinued, the overall household poverty rate would be 15. % instead of 7. 9%. Characteristics of Low Income Household Understanding the particularities of the poor or low-income households, are very important to know their economic strength and lifestyle. This would help to understand the type and cost of social housing that is offered to them. Again, in 2006/07, the average of ‘low income’ hou seholds in Mauritius was calculated to be around Rs 7,000 (compared to Rs 22,200 for all household), with an average expenditure on Rs 6,500 (compared to Rs 14,300 for all households). 1% of the income came from paid employment, 24% from government support, and the rest from self-employment and odd jobs. In terms of employment, where the national share of employment by sector in 2006/07 was as followed: Primary sector- 9%, Secondary sector- 32% and Tertiary sector- 59%; the structure was a little different for the poor families, as followed: Primary sector- 21%, Secondary sector- 37% and Tertiary sector- 42%. So, it can also be noted that the poorer people were more dominant in agricultural and manufacturing industries, and less present in the service industry. This explains partly, their low income. This phenomenon is also related to their level of education. The study has shown a very clear correlation with the distribution of income and the education level of members aged 20 and above. The higher the incomes, the proportion of the members having passed the primary and secondary education are larger. The share of expenditure on basic items such as food, clothing and housing over total expenditure was 65% for poor households, against 48% for all households. Figure 1 shows the detail expenditure of the poor against all households. It is interesting to note in the report that the average monthly loan repayment10 was Rs 1400 for poor housing, against Rs 4,353 for all indebted households. The highest loan repayment for poor households was on housing11. Figure 1: Expenditure habits of poor households, 2006/0712 As mentioned above, according to the 2010/11 Household survey, 8% who were renting or sub-renting. In 2006/07 the figure was 8. 4% for all households, but for the poor households, 16. 7% were renting their housing. The rest owned their houses or were provided free by relative or employer. The average poor household had a size of 4. 0 members, however the house had on average 3. 7 rooms, compared to average of 3. 7 members with 5. 2 rooms for all households. The amount poor households 10 11 Including, loans or purchase on credits, for housing, furniture, electric appliances, personal loans and other loans. 26% of the poor households had housing loans, which on average was Rs 2,491 12 Source: CSO 2007, Poverty Report 2006/07, p59 with two or less rooms accounted for 19%, against only 5% for all households13. There were more than one person per room in 63% of the households, against only 29% in all households14. This gives an idea of how poor households lived in a denser indoor environment than their other country man. Low Income Housing in Mauritius Strategies Institutions Since the 1980’s Mauritius was still an economy based on mono crop agriculture. Sugar cane cultivation had been the economic backbone for centuries of colonization, and only in the 80’s the diversification help Mauritius get out of the trap. Saying so, after independence in 1968, all successive governments regularly reiterate their will to gradually dismantle the ‘sugar estates camps’, which were the housing provided by colonial estate owner to workers. It was important to do so, as they remain powerful physical and psychological symbols of the sugar plantations hierarchy of the 19th century. A study in 1990 revealed that there were still 125 such estates in the country, and on the basis of finding long term alternatives for such residences, the government put pressure on the sugar estates, to phase out these camps and develop housing programs for their workers. The options offered were either to resettle the workers on an alternative site, out of the master’s property, or to sell the land and house to the current resident on the estate (UN, 2000). As seen above, the poor are usually less educated and work in agriculture. And since the structuring of the sugar industry 15 in the last decade, more and more of these people are losing their job, and because of age and education level, they cannot find other jobs. So, an early retirement scheme, worked out by all concerned parties and government, and involves giving a lump sum and a plot of residential land to the worker. The land given to the worker, are usually sugar plantations16 that have been converted to residential with basic infrastructure of road, electricity and water supply. This helps in reusing the abandoned agricultural lands and reduced the pressure of cash reward to the estate companies. In 1983, the house ownership in Mauritius was 66%, and then it rose to 76% in 1990, rose again to 87% in 2000, to reach a high 89% in 201117. Although official figures indicate a very high rate of owner-occupiers compared with other countries, these figures hide other quite serious problems of housing which may culminate into a crisis in years to come if some issues are not addressed in time Social housing programs for low income groups which had begun in the 1960s, gave way to a new housing strategy based on cost recovery through the setting up of a public company, The National Housing Development Company Limited (NHDC) in 1991 (UN, 2000). 13 14 Author calculation from CSO 2007, Poverty report 07, table 4. Author calculation from CSO 2007, Poverty report 07, table 4. 7 15 which currently contribute less than 4% of the GDP and less than 8% of employment 16 Since restructuring, large areas of sugar plantation have been abandoned by the sugar estates 17 Various Source, Boodoo 2006 for 1983 1990; 2011 Housing Survey for 2000 and 2011 Until 1991 the Central Housing Authority (CHA) was responsible for the task of building and administering of the low income housings estates. Medium rise apartment type buildings were built and let to the low income groups. The system was not successful at different levels. Firstly, most of the units were rented to low income households, instead of been owned. So, rents were sometimes not been paid, and the residents paid little attention to the built environment. This lend to a rapid degradation of the buildings and amenities. Secondly, although targeted for low income earners, the middle income group could somehow buy the apartment units. Thirdly, due to the deplorable design and soft policy, the CHA estates turned into undesirable living places where social problems grew. In 1991, the responsibility of providing low income housing has been passed the newly established National Development Company (NHDC), and the CHA was renamed the Housing Management Unit (MHU), which just left to administer these estates and collect rents. Another important institution was restructured shift to be noted during the same period. Since its creation in 1963, the Mauritius Housing Corporation, was governmental body was responsible to create housing for the middle income class, while the CHA was doing the same for low income class, financed by loans through the Mauritius Agricultural Bank18. In 1989, the Mauritius Housing Corporation (MHC) was incorporated and renamed the Mauritius Housing Company Limited, which then was more like a bank, to cater better to the need of the housing demands. Then the new MHC, no longer deals with the construction and policy of the social housing, it provides soft loans to those below a certain income level, and started the Plan Epargne Logement, PEL (in English, Housing Savings Scheme), that offer exceptional loan rates to anyone, who would deposit money in MHC bank. Nowdays, the MHC has developed into a one-stop shop for all need of housing services. In additional to loans, it deals with the providing of architectural, structural, legal, technical, insurances and project management services, at nominal or free of charges. Prior to 2006, the social housing responsibility lied solely within the hands of the government. But, as the demand was growing and the government could only built around 900 units a years, with a waiting list of 25,000 housing units, the private sector was called to participate through various PPP (publicprivate partnership) projects. The aim was to raise the rate of construction to at least 1500 yearly19. Another interesting fact is that as from 2009, the government established a policy of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that requires profitable private companies to invest at least 2%20 of their profit, into social help, like donation to NGO, or other social and environmental programs, including housing for the poor. The CSR is the concept whereby companies act to balance their own economic growth with the sustainable social and environmental development of their areas of operation. A company performing highly in CSR is one that goes beyond compliance with the legal framework to actively pursue positive impacts on local communities and its environmental footprint. 18 19 Source: Mauritius Housing Company Ltd, website: http://www. mhc. mu/mhc/; retrieved June 2012 Speech of Minister of Lands and Housing, March 2006 20 Source: NEF, http://www. nef. mu/csr/, retrieved June 2012 Low Income Housing Types and Finance Up to date, there are five main players in the housing sector. They are the Commercial Banks, the Insurance Companies, the Mauritius Housing Company Ltd (MHC), the National Housing Development Company LTD (NHDC) and the Housing Division of the Ministry of Land and Housing (Joseph, 2007). The role of the commercial and insurance companies is to offer housing finance facilities, in addition of their usual core activities. However, the other three players have a very important role in the provision of housing to the general public of Mauritius, but to especially the low and lower middle income group. Even if the government continued to build some apartment types housing, single housing or duplex types were more and more practiced. These types of housing created a better environment for social diversity and were more inclusive in term of equality. It should be noted that in Mauritius, these units are not built in large numbers, but in small numbers between 50 to 100 units spread all over the island. This is due to the availability of land for development and the concentration of poverty in the region. The spread of the social housing and its small numbers help social integration and the balance of the local diversity. Currently, these locations are mostly located in the rural area, as part of the National Plan to increase rural population and develop and reduce the burden on the already dense urban regions. Figure 221 shows an example of a type of social housing units that NHDC are building with the help of the Export-Import Bank of China. Site Bois Mangue St Pierre (Circonstance) Dagotiere Highlands Bambous Montagne Blanche Mon Choisy Cottage La Cure Notre Dame Pointe aux Sables (A B) Pointe aux Sables (C) Units 108 72 52 84 148 100 98 52 120 60 128 70 21 Source: Ministry of Lands and Housing, retrieved June 2012 Rose Belle Camp Levieux Trou aux Biches Mahebourg Total 76 152 76 78 1474 Figure 2: Example of 1474 housing units scattered into 18 sites around the island. The ‘Firinga Type’ is the one most currently built for the lowest income groups. These are semi-detached units of 40m2 each. It provides for bathroom with toilet and a kitchen table with sink. There are better duplexes types that are constructed for lower middle class. Some houses are spread on two stories and have 2-3 bedrooms with balconies. As the types of housing vary from one income group to another, the financing to these group are not the same. As for the Firinga units the interest rate is fixed at 6. 5% per annum, for other types, the finances vary according to the cost of the housing and household income (that is total income of husband and wife). The current loan scheme from the MHC is as below: For household earning up to 7,500 per month: ? ? ? Long term credit repayment period up to 20 years, depending on the age of the applicants; Subsidized rates of interest of 6. % during the first five years, 8. 0% during the next five years, and 10. 0 % during the remaining years of the repayment period; and A non-refundable Government grant equivalent to 20 % of the gross credit amount subject to a maximum of Rs 30 000. For households earning more than Rs7 500 and up to Rs 10 000: ? ? Long term credit repayment period up to 20 years, depending on the age of the of the applicants; and Subsidized rates of interest of 10 % d uring the first five years, 12 % during the next five years, and 14 % during the remaining years of the repayment period. And finally for those earning more than Rs 10 000: ? ? Long term credit repayment period up to 25 years, depending on the age of the of the applicants; and Rates of interest of 13 % during the first five years, and 14 % during the remaining years of the repayment period. To protect those in the most needs, there are strict eligibility criteria to obtain a NHDC unit like they should not be owner of a housing unit or of a plot of residential land, have made regular contributions o a PEL savings account for a period of at least six months; and priority is given to applicant that reside in the region where the house has been constructed. It should be noted that, in order to relief the burden on the government to provide affordable housing, the MHC provide loans at favorable rates to low and lower middle income applicants who want to construct their own house or want to buy a plot of land. A subsidy for the concrete roof construction, which is considered one of the most expensive parts of the construction, and to prevent the houses have iron sheet roofing. Conclusion: We have seen in this paper that the social movement has been present since before the independence and the movement was stronger after the independence, by the pressure of strong trade unions, and the strong democratic system, where the public opinions and demands could not be undermined. In the welfare state of Mauritius, the government has done greatly in terms of policies and investment to provide decent housing not only for the poor, but also for the less poor. In 2011, the housing ownership approached the 90% and the private sector was also made part into the responsibility to provide housing for all Mauritian, in the way the Mauritians like it. The institutional and financial structure in Mauritius is quite mature after evolving for around 50 years now. It is important to note that Mauritius has a large lower middle and middle class population and that housing benefit are also given to them, in terms of favorable loans rates, and subsidies. References: Websites: Mauritius Housing Company Limited, MHC: www. hc. mu Ministry of Lands and Housing, Housing Division: www. gov. mu/portal/site/housing/ National Empowerment Fund, NEF: www. nef. mu National Housing Development Company Limited, NHDC: www. nhdc-online. com Literature: Bundoo S. K. (2006); Financial and Trade Reforms and Impact on Poverty and Income Inequality: The Case of Mauritius; from Pro-Poor Macroeconomics- Potentials and Limitations, Chapter 8; edited by Cornia G. A. CSO (2009) ; Poverty Report 2006/07 CSO (2011); 2011 Housing Census Main Results Deerpalsingh N. 2011); Access to Social Services for Non-Citizen and the Portability of Social Benefits in Mauritius; From Assess to the Social Services for Non-Citizen and the Portability of Social Benefits within the SADC; Chapter 3, edited by Mpedi L. G. Smit N. Joseph Mathew (2007); Mauritius Housing Company Limited; AUHF AGM Conference, 17th -21st September 2007 in Ghana Ministry of Housing and Land (2006); Speech of Minister A. Dullul; Government Social Housing Projects on a Private Public Partnership Basis; on 1st March 2006 Phaahla L. E. (2000); Development with Social Justice- Social Democracy in Mauritius; Master’s Thesis presented at Stellenbosch University United Nations (2000); Common Country Assessment, Mauritius; Office of the UN Resident Coordinator, Mauritius, May 2000 United Nations Habitat (2004); Human Settlements Country Profile, Mauritius Vandemoortele M. and Bird K. (2010); Progress in economic conditions: Sustained success against the odds in Mauritius; for Overseas Development Institute