Chapter 1 | Page 12 1.2.4 ‘Maximum’ of resources In the context of resources, the concept of ‘maximum’ should connote maximising both the mobilisation and allocation of resources. Here, ‘maximum’ should be taken as the ‘greatest amount, extent, or intensity possible, permitted, or recorded’,31 which in the case of State resources must represent the broadest possible definition of resources in mobilisation and the most inclusive methods of allocation. Identifying the optimum level of resource allocation, thus determining what is ‘maximum’ for the purpose of State obligation, involves complex and multiple considerations. Allocative decisions and choice-making as well as calculating trade-offs in various policy decisions require stronger empirical analysis and often does not have a simple or conclusive economic answer.32 Granted that the State has limited resources and a large number of competing priorities (including non-human rights policy objectives), determining what proportion of the available resources must be allocated for ESC rights goals and, by implication, the level under which the State should not fall in terms of its resource commitments for ESC rights, becomes a key issue in the ESC rights policy process. Because many of the core functions of a State require a significant amount of resources, decisions about resource allocation between and among competing objectives and priorities is often not driven by informed and calculated obligation matrices or even by public expectations. These decisions are, more often than not, driven by political considerations and are not necessarily reflective of public expectations and demands at all times. This congruence between public expectation and policy design depends on the nature of governance, democratic institutions, and cultural and economic factors, as well as on the overall organisation and capacity of civil society. 31 Oxford Dictionaries (Online), Oxford University Press <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/>. 32 See for example, Malcolm Langford, 'Social Security and Children: Testing the Boundaries of Human Rights and Economics' in Bard A Andreassen, Stephen P Marks and Arjun Sengupta (eds), Freedom from Poverty as a Human Right: Economic Perspectives (UNESCO, 2009).