The background into the cuts made to the TIA has significantly shown that the government has removed an important training incentive for sole parent beneficiaries, and have denied them support to access higher education. As a result, this problem can be addressed as government failure.
Government failure results when collective choice by the government sometimes fails to advance social values in predictable and desired ways.[1] Government failure takes place when efficient use of society’s resources or fair distribution of society’s goods is not made.[2] This also occurs when the government does not provide equity and sufficiency in the distributions of economic and political resources.[3] This policy change is expected to save $2 million by 2012, however at least 4500 beneficiaries a year are likely to be affected. [4] The government has not taken into account the success of the TIA, which has helped a high number of sole parent beneficiaries into higher education and into employment, and has failed to provide important resources and remove the barriers to the entry of sole parent beneficiaries into employment. Furthermore, in the current economic downturn, and with employment on the increase, the TIA was even more important and necessary, and showed a commitment from the government to provide support for those facing difficulties to upskill themselves.[5] Furthermore, the cut to the TIA is greatly inconsistent to the governments stated goal that in order to have a productive knowledge –based economy, high qualifications are necessary.[6]
[1] David L. Weimer and Aidan R. Vining, Policy analysis: concepts and practice (Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005), 157.
[2] Ibid.,37.
[3] Ibid.,37.
[4] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10585365 July 19 2009.
(accessed September 14,2009).
[5] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/surviving-the-recession/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502812&objectid=10581259 June 29 2009. (accessed August 4, 2009).
[6] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/surviving-the-recession/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502812&objectid=10581259