SPSF Chap 4: Why some countries developed / stayed poor
Textbook
Checklist of economic diseases:
- Poverty traps
- Bad economic policies
- Financial insolvency
- Physical geography
- Poor governance
- Cultural barriers
- Geopolitics
There are two main ways to break a poverty trap:
- The government can borrow, make critical investments and count on future economic growth to repay debts, or
- Foreign and international actors can provide temporary private or official development assistance (ODA) to finance urgent needs and then scale down assistance as growth occurs.
The Role of Culture - Demography, Education, and Gender
... When a place is poor, it has the reputation of being lazy... This happened with Japan in the late nineteenth century. When Japan was still poor (around 1870), European observers condemned the Japanese for their alleged laziness. When Japan boomed, Europeans and Americans complained that Japanese culture led the Japanese to work too hard (p.121).
A critical step towards breaking this cycle is to help young girls stay in school: they to be more oriented toward the workforce, marry later, and have fewer children.
Data Activities
A. Suitability for Malaria Transmission (Class)
Go to the Map Room of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University: http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/maproom. Select the "Climate and Health" section, and then the "Climate and Malaria" section.
- What are the necessary conditions suitable for malaria transmission?
Coincidence of precipitation accumulation greater than 80 mm, average temperature between 18°C and 32°C, and relative humidity greater than 60% - In which countries it is possible to be infected with malaria for all 12 months? (Hint: Look into the seasonal climatic suitability for malaria transmission.)
Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Equ. Guinea, Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar
B. Discussion (Group)
“Malaria cannot be an impediment to economic development; the United States and Europe had malaria in the past and eliminated it as incomes increased. Therefore, arguing that malaria hinders development is incorrect.” Discuss why you agree or disagree with this statement.
