Causes of limited development Flashcards
The world issue that I have studied is
Limited development
Background info
The world issue that I have studied is limited development. The level of development in a country is how we measure how well a country might be doing in comparison to others. When we talk about developed and countries with limited development, we often look at a number of indicators that help us measure how developed a country is. Some countries are more developed than others. Three keyways we measure the level of a country’s development is to look at political, social and economic factors.
List of factors
This essay will discuss factors that cause countries to be affected by limited development including lack of quality education, poor health, external debt, poor infrastructure, corrupt governments and incompetent governments.
Line of argument
This essay will reach the conclusion that there is no one singular factor that causes limited development but there indeed some that are more significant than others in tackling this issue.
Point one
One cause of limited development is poor health.
Point one explain
This is because when populations suffer from widespread illness, productivity decreases, and healthcare costs rise. Money that should be used to improve infrastructure and services is often redirected to address health crises, meaning that the country is unable to make advancements.
One example of a disease which causes limited development is malaria. Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito born disease.
Malaria has led underdevelopment because people with the disease are less productive and will need to take time off of work to recover. This means that national governments will miss the tax needed to maintain and improve important services like healthcare, education and infrastructure.
Point one example
For example, Pakistan has a large prevalence of Malaria. The average life expectancy in Pakistan in just 66 years compared to 80 in the UK meaning that people on average have less healthy working years which can contribute to the underdevelopment of the nation.
Point one analysis
This would suggest that countries that have a significant portion of their population facing health issues/illnesses such as malaria are more likely to be underdeveloped as it results in a significant proportion of their population being unfit for work which means that the economy or other services cannot improve as the country does not have a progressive tax system.
Point two/rebuttal
Furthermore, another social factor is lack of quality education.
Point two explain
This is because challenges such as a lack of qualified teachers, inadequate infrastructure, outdated teaching materials, and a shortage of learning resources can reduce the effectiveness of education in preparing students for the world of work. This means that people often face challenges in finding employment or may end up in poverty.
Poor education leads to underdevelopment because poorly educated individuals often work in low-skilled jobs. This can lead to high levels of economic stagnation and poverty, as well as ensuring the government earn less in taxes which impacts their ability to develop the country.
Point two example
It can clearly be argued that teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa are so poorly qualified that only around 50% of secondary teachers are actually trained to teach at that level.
Point two analysis
This shows that countries which are affected by poor quality education are more likely to face underdevelopment as it results in a large majority of their population being unable to work in good and well-paying jobs as they do not have the education or training for it which leads to economic stagnation.
Point two link
Overall, while both factors have significant contributions in causing underdevelopment in countries, poor health and diseases is a more significant factor as unlike poor education, the government cannot raise taxation in order to invest to improve other areas as people are unable to work in the first place.
Point three
An economic factor that causes limited development is external debt.
Point three explain
This is when many less economically developed nations have to borrow money from richer countries or organisations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to try and fund development. These loans often come with high interest rates and strict conditions attached. This means that debt repayment has taken precedence over public spending within the country.
Debt has led to underdevelopment as diverting significant portions of national budgets toward debt servicing limits resources available for crucial investments in infrastructure, education, and healthcare. Additionally, high debt levels can lead to economic instability, reduced investor confidence, and hinder the ability of governments to implement effective development policies, perpetuating a cycle of underdevelopment.
Point three example
For example, Albania’s debt as a percentage of GDP in 2022 was 67.6% and Albania is classified as the fourth poorest country in the whole of Europe. This debt means that Albania continues to struggle to pay for social provisions. (World Bank) Albania suffers from issues with electricity provision, high crime rates and poor modern technology.
Point three analysis
This means countries which have high levels of debt are more likely to be underdeveloped as it results in governments not being able to focus on improving the lives of their citizens, rather it results in them focusing on paying back their debt, often at the expense in money which would be given to improving basic services.
Point four/rebuttal
Furthermore, countries affected by limited development often are due to poor infrastructure.
Point four explain
This is because poor infrastructure results in limited development as it causes countries to be slower and less reliable compared to countries with quality infrastructure. A lack of good quality, efficient infrastructure means that access to basic services such as education and healthcare is not always easy.
Poor infrastructure leads to underdevelopment as it means that often people are unable to get to work or to work in safe and well-built buildings which can lead to economic instability and basic services are unable to be improved.
Point four example
Statistics show that Afghanistan’s infrastructure has been largely destroyed during years of conflict, virtually no development has happened in this sector. This means that it now faces a substantial infrastructural deficit. This is further proved by The World Bank reporting that infrastructure in Africa ranks at the bottom for poor infrastructure and only 57% of the population have access to electricity.
Point four analysis
This suggests that countries who have poor infrastructure are often at a disadvantage compared to more developed countries as it means that the large majority of their country is unable to work as they do not have access to quality buildings in which they would work and it also means that if they get ill, they are unable to receive treatment which also contributes to poverty and underdevelopment.
Point four link
Overall, this shows that while both factors are major in causing underdevelopment, poor infrastructure is a more pressing factor as it causes people to be unable to work because they are unable to work in safe buildings or receive access to basic services such as healthcare.
Point five
Political factors include corrupt governments.
Point five explain
Political corruption is when people in positions of political power abuse that power for their own benefit. As countries that face limited development often do not have many democratic voting systems this results in many politicians making unpopular decisions which bring personal financial gain in the knowledge that they cannot be voted out of power. These decisions may be at the detriment of providing effective public services.
Corruption has led to underdevelopment because corrupt practices such as embezzlement, bribery, and kickbacks can lead to the misallocation of public funds which mean essential services like education, healthcare, and infrastructure development underperform and damage socio-economic outcomes for citizens.
