Rockridge Social Studies

Explain the obstacles that developing nations face in becoming developed nations.

 

Conditions remain unsuitable in such nations for such a transition to easily take place. For example, there are significant hindrances such as: 

 

Economic obstacles:

• The poverty trap which perpetuates the likelihood of high infant mortality rates, high birth rates and low life expectancy.

• Lack of educational resources.

• Poor health care facilities.

• Poor nutrition/insufficient food.

• Cash crops which use up limited arable lands –– for export, not local consumption.

• High debts hinder the flow of capital for investment and trade.

• Hindrances to trade: some of these countries are landlocked

• debt

• Lack of needed infrastructure, which would allow ease of movement.

• People in many of these nations are too preoccupied fighitng for health and life to be effective contributors to a healthy national GDP.

 

Environmental obstacles:

• Lack of resources. In many cases, there are limited fish and forests, and insufficient funds to invest in mining.

• Poor access to safe drinking water.

• Poor soils limit farming opportunities.

• Difficult climates including drought and heat are an encumbrance to productivity. 

 

Social obstacles:

• Oppressive, chauvinistic attitudes towards women bar them from educational and vocational advancement.

• Women are held to traditional domestic roles in which they are expected to rear several children.

• Diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS.

• Over half the populations of these nations are young dependents.

• Inter-racial violence.

• Exploitation from resource-seeking outside nations and inside governmental corruption.

 

Political obstacles:

• Poor, ineffective and corrupt governments and police.

• Despite noble efforts of individuals and organizations from the developed world, the industrial nations are generally too preoccupied with their own economic growth to intervene.

• To industrialize, a nation needs most of these conditions drastically improved, otherwise they will likely remain primarily agrarian.

• Without improvement, there can be no initiative or energy to industrialize, which in turn leads to stable populations and developed status. 

Explain the effects of overpopulation in developing countries. 

 

• decreased role of women

  • many children are still being born

  • women have decreased say in reproduction

• populations don't always follow government policies

  • urban vs. rural issues

  • access to education

  • access to contraception devices

  • primarily agricultural based; need more children

• skewed sex ratios

• exponential population growth so populations continue to rise

• developed countries continue to produce children

  • consumption continues to increase in other countries

  • resources continue to be depleted

• increase in sewage

• increase in pollution

  • air

  • water

  • global warming

  • urbanization

• nutrition is poor, continuing the cycle of poverty

• increase in disease

  • SARS

  • HIV/AIDS

  • cholera

  • malaria

• high infant mortality rate

• pressure on farmland

• increase in shantytowns

• nationalism within countries

  • civil war

• refugees created by overpopulation

• population conflicts within neighbouring countries

• abandoned children

  • crime