EQ1 8A.3 GOVERNMENTS - DEVELOPMENT POLICIES Flashcards
what do Governments and International Government Organisations (IGOs) play a significant role in
defining development targets and policies
In general, countries that are more to the ‘left’ and more democratic tend to invest more in what
in social progress factors e.g. education and health
countries that are more to the ‘right’ and more authoritarian tend to invest less in what
social progress factors
an extremist socialist example
Socialist Cuba, where social development is a high priority.
an extremist authoritarian example
Saudi Arabia, with very low levels of per capita spending on public services
how are governments classified (left to right)
Governments can be classified along a continuum from left wing (socialist) to right wing (capitalist).
how are governments classified
They can also be classified along a continuum from democratic (hold regular elections) to authoritarian and totalitarian (with small powerful elites).
in most countries what does economic development provide
the means (capital and human resources) that drive and sustain human development
what 2 types of development are critical and in the hands of governments
economic and human development
what do governments determine
Governments determine how much of a country’s wealth should be spent on providing education, health and other social services.
what does government spending depend on
This depends very much on governmental attitudes towards social progress
when were the IGOs established
Three IGOs established after the Second World War
what do the IGOs control
the rules of world trade and financial flows.
the 3 main institutions are
The World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The World Bank (WB).
what are the aims of the institutions
The three IGOs have helped to maintain the dominance of ‘western’ capitalism as the dominant paradigm in the globalised economy.
They support free trade and economic development.
The three IGOs have helped to maintain the dominance of ‘western’ capitalism as the dominant paradigm in the globalised economy.
They support free trade and economic development.
what is the aim of the WTO
The WTO aims to reduce the trade barriers between different countries.
what are the global agreements of the WTO
The WTO tries to get all countries internationally to agree to the same terms that help to create free trade.
The latest round of talks began in Doha in 2001, but have not yet been concluded.
what does the WTO say about tariffs
According to the WTO ‘tariffs give a price advantage to local producers’. They are effectively a tax on imports.
The WTO tries to reduce barriers to trade (like tariffs). The WTO tries to persuade nations to reduce their tariffs on a range of goods and services.
what does the IMF do
promotes global economic and financial stability.
what does the world bank do
lends money to fund development
what does the IMF encourage
The IMF encourages developing countries to accept foreign direct investment (FDI) and open up their economies to free trade.
why is the IMF criticised
The IMF is often criticised for promoting a ‘western’ model of economic development that works in the interests of developed nations and TNCs.
why did the Britain use the IMF in 1976
In 1976, Britain had to borrow $3.9bn from the IMF when it faced an inflationary crisis.
why did the Argentina use the IMF in 2018
In 2018, Argentina accepted a $50bn loan from the IMF after their currency, the Argentinian peso, weakened materially.
how has the world bank helped developing countries
The World Bank lends money to the developing world to fund economic development and reduce poverty.
The World Bank has helped developing countries develop connections with the global economy.
why is the world bank criticised
It is sometimes criticised for having policies that prioritise economic development over social development.
what has happened since the 1970s for developing countries
Since the 1970s, tougher rules and strict conditions have been applied for large-scale lending, especially for developing countries. These have included the SAP and HIPC schemes
what does SAP stand for
SAP stands for Structural Adjustment Programmes.
what is a SAP
They are usually made up of loans from the IMF and World Bank.
SAPs have made countries that receive lending follow specific routes to development, such as privatisation.
why is Africa Action, an NGO critical of SAPs
they claim that the assumption that the market leads to benefits for the rich and poor is flawed.
ghanas structural adjustment plan
Ghana launched its structural adjustment plan in 1983. The IMF and World Bank say it is one of the most successful SAPs in Africa.
what does HIPC stand for
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
how many nations are in HIPC
here are 37 nations in this group, including Ghana, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Senegal.
what are the aims of HIPC schemes
HIPC schemes aim to make sure that no country faces an unmanageable debt burden (amount of debt).
what do HIPC schemes aim to achieve
Under HIPC schemes, countries must reduce poverty over time and meet other criteria. If they meet all of these criteria, then they may have all their external debt cancelled.
Chad achieved this in 2015.
criticisms of SAP and HIPC
Some people argue that SAPs and HIPCs mean the sovereignty of these nations is questionable - are they perhaps neo-colonial?
what is the most important IGO
the UN
what does the UN seek to do
Global organisations have been particularly important since 1945. The UN seeks to manage global environmental, socio-economic and political problems.
how many countries does the UN have as its member states
The UN has 193 countries as its member states.
where are the UN headquarters
The UN’s headquarters are in New York, USA.
how can we meet challenge through the UN
The UN states that only international co-operation can meet the challenges that the world faces and it operates by applying the principles of its Charter (signed at the founding of the UN).
how does the UN maintain international peace and stability
The UN tries to maintain international peace and stability using the UN Security Council.
who are the permanent members of the the UN Security Council
The UN Security Council has Russia, the USA, China and the UK as permanent members and some other members rotate onto the Council.
does the UN have its own military
The UN does not have its own military. Any peacekeeping forces under the UN banner are supplied by member states of the UN.
what did the UN establish
The UN established the Geneva Convention which protects the rights of prisoners.
what are the UNs functions
Aims to protect human rights by adopting the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) as a standard.
Applies economic or diplomatic sanctions to countries, in order to make them change their behaviour.
Upholds international law through the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
what did the UN do in 2000 and 2015
In both 2000 and 2015, set targets (Millenium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals respectively) regarding tackling poverty, child and maternal mortality, diseases and environmental concerns.
what is the IPCC
(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), a scientific advisory panel, to inform debate on climate change.
who established the IPCC
the UN
what has the IPCC organised
The IPCC has organised global conferences on how to tackle climate change, such as the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the COP21 in Paris in 2015.
what does the The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) aim to do
seeks to protect vulnerable children around the world.
what does the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) aim to do
support people affected by conflict.
the UN troops role
UN troops are supplied by member states. They wear distinctive blue helmets.
UN troops have a peace-keeping role and are not allowed to engage in any military action unless they are protecting themselves.
what did the UN troops do in Bosnia
At the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia, UN troops failed to help a group of Muslims, who were then slaughtered by Karadzic’s troops.
In 2018, there were UN peace-keeping troops stationed in Sudan, Kosovo, Haiti and Lebanon.
what does the ICC do
The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established at the Hague in the Netherlands to try individuals for crimes like genocide (attempts to destroy a racial or ethnic group).
how fast are trials at the ICC
The trials at the ICC are very slow. Radovan Karadzic is a Bosnian Serb who was accused of the Srebrenica massacre in 1995. He was found guilty, but his trial lasted 8 years.
the UN emergency relief
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees organises refugee camps in conflict zones. For example, the UN helped to set up the Zaatari camp in Jordan to shelter refugees from the Syrian civil war.
They aim to protect refugees and vulnerable people from further abuse.
what are sanctions
Sanctions are designed to force countries to change their policy by enforcing economic or social pain.
economic sanctions
Economic sanctions are restrictions on trade. Iran was put under economic sanctions whilst it was developing its nuclear capabilities.
cultural sanctions
Cultural sanctions, for example, refusing to let countries participate in sporting fixtures can be enforced. Another international organisation, the IOC banned Russia from competing at the 2018 Olympics.
how successful are sanctions
The success of sanctions alone to create change has been limited.
what do the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) do
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set by the UN at the turn of the century to set targets to combat poverty.
how many MDGs are there
8
what are the MDGs
1 - Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
2 - Achieve universal primary education.
3 - Promote gender equality and empower women.
4 - Reduce child mortality.
5 - Improve maternal health.
6 - Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
7 - Ensure environmental sustainability.
8 - Global partnership for development.
when were the MDGs agreed
The MDGs were agreed in 2000 in a series of international conferences and summits.
what is the aim of MDGs
Their aim was to fight poverty and combat a range of issues hampering human development.
what was agreed at MDG conferences
A framework to coordinate development efforts was agreed.
It allowed assessment of the progress being made at a national level.
The overall goal was reducing the development gap between the poorest and richest countries.
8 MDGs were agreed.
what is the progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Progress in the UN’s MDGs has been mixed in terms of individual countries, global regions and targets.
the UN report quote
“Millions of people are being left behind, especially the poorest and those disadvantaged because of their sex, age, disability, ethnicity or geographic location. Targeted efforts will be needed to reach the most vulnerable people.”
(UN Progress Report on the MDGs – 2015)
the progress in terms of MDG targets
In 2015, the UN stated that ‘considerable progress’ had taken place worldwide on all eight targets.
Sub-Saharan Africa stands out as the region where most problems still occur.
Oceania is the second worst region for problems.
when were the The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) created
In 2015, 17 SDGs were agreed by the UN to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice and tackle climate change by 2030.
what are the three strategic focus areas of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
that the SDGs are also connected to
Sustainable development.
Democratic governance and peacebuilding.
Climate and disaster resilience.
the sustainability agenda of SDGs
The SDGs and the broader sustainability agenda address the root causes of poverty and the universal need for a style of development that works for all people.
The focus is on the developing world and little is said about the contribution that might be made by the developed world, particularly in terms of aid.
