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SECTION 1 2 3 WHAT CAN BE DONE 2.7 Women protesting at the Tunisian Constituent Assembly, demanding parity in election law, Tunisia (2014). Photo: Serena Tramont/Oxfam PEOPLE POWER: TAKING ON THE ONE PERCENT In this report we have shown how the massive concentration of economic resources in the hands of a few people can have negative consequences for all of society, including the threat it presents to accountable governance. Those with money can use it to buy power and to rig rules, regulations and policies in their favour, creating a cycle of growing economic inequality. Politicians and institutions that should represent citizens and keep inequality in check are instead being influenced by the rich and powerful, resulting in policies and actions that further widen the gap between rich and poor. 108
SECTION 1 2 3 WHAT CAN BE DONE The global alliance of civil society groups CIVICUS has reported an increase in threats to civil society space in recent years, 489 something that Oxfam has seen firsthand in its work with civil society organizations around the world. This takes many different forms, including direct repression, the introduction of legal restrictions on legitimate civil society action, funding restrictions and, in some cases, a crackdown of communications technology. 490 Despite this, people around the world are coming together in ever greater numbers to take back power. This can be seen in the mass of protests that have sprung up across the world in the past few years, 491 where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to vent their frustration about the lack of services and their lack of voice. 492 This discontent is reflected in opinion polling conducted by Oxfam and others, which clearly reflects that people around the world continue to be deeply concerned that their governments are acting not in their interests, but on behalf of national and international elites. 493 The good news is that political capture and economic inequality are not inevitable. History has shown time and again that the antidote to the capture of power is the mobilization of empowered and informed active citizens. 495 This makes it a crucial ingredient in the fight against inequality. There are numerous examples of citizens and civil society organizations across the world holding their governments to account and demanding more inclusive and representative policy making. Below are three such cases from Chile, Hungary and Iceland. Chile: Protests bring education reform and a new government The biggest public demonstrations to hit Chile since the return of democracy in 1990 erupted during 2011. Initially spurred by discontent over the cost of education, they grew to encompass concerns about deep divisions of wealth (Chile is the most unequal country in the OECD 496 ) and the control of government by business interests. 497 A coalition of students and trade unions mobilized 600,000 people in a two-day strike demanding reform. Elections at the end of 2013 brought in a new government that included key members of the protest movement, on a platform of reducing inequality and reforming public education. 498 Hungarians block user fees and privatization In 2006, the Hungarian government proposed health service reforms including hospital closures, the introduction of user fees, and the creation of regional, part-private insurance funds. After parliament passed a first law to introduce patient fees and fees for other public services, including university education, campaigners gained enough signatures to force two referenda in 2008, which eventually led the government to abandon the attempt. 499 Iceland: Popular participation in country’s political evolution In early 2010, a series of popular protests against the proposed mass bailout of Iceland’s three main commercial banks forced the newly elected government – who had pledged to shelter low- and middle-income groups from the worst of the financial crisis – to hold a referendum on the decision. Ninety three percent of Icelanders rejected a proposal that the people (rather than the banks) should pay for the bankruptcy. “ People are not tolerating the way a small number of economic groups benefit from the system. Having a market economy is really different from having a market society. What we are asking for, via education reform, is that the state takes on a different role. CAMILA VALLEJO VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE STUDENT FEDERATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHILE 494 ” “ The government has failed the average person in Iceland. It protects the interests of financial institutions while it couldn’t care less about normal people who have no job, no income and have lost the ability to feed their family. BALDUR JONSSON A PROTESTOR IN ICELAND 500 ” 109
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