Downgrading of services with nonquantifiable long-term benefits

The present emphasis is on rapid profit-making in areas such as commerce, finance and industry. The provision of services with nonquantifiable long-term benefits has been steadily downgraded, financially and socially. The increasing demands placed on the public sector, which has broadened its already large range of services and subsidies at the expense of some vital areas, compounds this imbalance.

Services affected in many countries include social and medical workers, teachers and educational assistants.