SIRTee15's Posts
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One of the most hotly debated topics in development economics is: what does it take to steer a poor country from Third World to First World status? It is a debate of particular relevance in Africa, which is home to a large number of countries in the Third World category. It also has some of the fastest-growing economies in the world. In recent years, economists have used the terms “developed countries” to denote First World and “emerging markets” to refer to Third World countries. We believe that the use of these terms camouflages the extent of underdevelopment and challenges faced by the poorest. The terms are also viewed as a means of excusing First World responsibility to provide material support and solidarity. Third World countries are characterised by a big agrarian sector and a huge proportion of the population living in rural areas. They are also marked by low productivity, disease, high infant mortality, lack of potable water and poor infrastructure. First World countries are highly urbanised, and citizens enjoy universal access to health, education and housing. They also exhibit high productivity, strong service sectors and freedom of movement because of infrastructure. Within decades, many Asian countries made the transition from Third World status to First World status. Some countries in Africa are well placed to make this transition. These include Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire Gabon, Mozambique, Angola and South Africa. We believe that these countries can emulate the “Asian miracle”, but only if governments take decisive steps to achieve certain outcomes. East Asia has a remarkable record of high and sustained economic growth. From 1965 to 1990 the 23 economies of East Asia grew faster than those of all other regions of the world. Most of this achievement is attributable to seemingly miraculous growth in the eight economies studied. First, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita or the average household income must be improved. It is impossible to sustain important aspects of human development without this. Second, state intervention and robust national leadership are crucial. The economic strategies of successful countries were influenced by leaders who were committed to rapid development. They had a focus on growing human capital. This in turn led to increased productivity, increased household incomes and an improvement in the general standard of living. The Asian example Lee Kwan Yew, the first premier of Singapore and largely considered the founding father of that nation, is arguably the one Asian leader who popularised the idea of moving from Third World to First World in one generation. Time frames matter when attempting to understand how long it takes to make the transition. Examining the economic trajectory of some countries between 1960 and 2016 suggests that it can take about 25 years to turn a nation from Third World to First World. Japan was the outright leader, but in time other Asian nations started leading in certain industries. Examples include Taiwan and South Korea. They had no mineral wealth. What they had, instead, were national systems of innovation and, critically, they invested in human capital. They copied technologies from First World economies until they were on par and even overtook the First World countries. In many cases they started off equal or lower in GDP per capita when compared with a number of African countries. For example, in 1957 Ghana and South Korea had about the same per capita GDP. South Korea had a national leadership focused on the development of state institutions that were focused on rapid, technology-intensive economic development. Ghana has no programmes of similar nature on record. Taiwan’s economy underperformed under Japanese colonial rule between 1895 and 1945. In the 1950s the country was an agrarian economy with the same living standard as Congo. But by 2010 it had overtaken its former colonial master to become the number one producer of semi-conductors in the world. The point is that a colonial past is no excuse for Africa’s failure so far to catch up, emulate and leapfrog. Income growth Success stories of the kind envisioned here have been controversially called miracles. Yet there is no magic. Studies have shown that nations that made serious economic progress focused on growing the average income of their citizens. For example, Japan focused on this between 1950 and 1972 and doubled its GDP per capita. Nineteen out of 23 of the poorest nations in the world are in Africa. Of the 54 African countries, about 19 are represented on the world’s poorest list. Yet no African leader has pursued with single-minded determination the improvement of household incomes. Instead their focus has generally been on economic growth with trickle down being viewed as a panacea for higher GDP per capita. Even in South Africa there is no set period for the poor in the black majority (90% of the population) to move into the middle class proper, with access to tertiary education, white goods and shelter, and annual household expenditure close to US$36,500. Household incomes improve when the largest number of people get involved in technology-based productivity work. Even agriculture needs to be high-tech and include agro-processing. This is a path currently being followed by Ethiopia. ethiopia irrigated farm A farmer works in an irrigated field near the village of Botor, Somaliland April 16, 2016. Across the Horn of Africa, millions have been hit by the severe El Nino-related drought. Reuters/Siegfried Modola The role of the state In Asia and Europe state intervention was seen as a key strategic tool to stimulate and guide development without impeding the private sector. States crowded in private capital in support of investment in infrastructure and human capital formation. This represented an approach that can be described as state pragmatism rather than simply leaving matters to the markets, as neoliberals argue, or by imposing state control, as ideologues on the left have argued. The Asian Tigers have been criticised for the lack of democracy, favouritism in allocation of resources, cronyism and protectionism. But there is unanimity that they have succeeded in taking the masses of their populations out of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Another key area of focus among the Asian Tigers has been investment in their youth. But the youth need education to be academically and technically ready to explore the boundaries of knowledge and technology for their own benefit and that of their countries. Africa should exploit the youth dividend, its most important natural resource. The Asian Tigers also all have a national innovation system that links government, well-funded research and development institutions such as the universities and industry. Taiwan boasts 21 research institutes, some covering the most advanced technologies like nano-technologies. Again, African nations do not have such institutions. There are signs that some of these lessons have been taken to heart. Rwanda, for example, is doing very well by investing in information, technology and communication, and in its own people. Ethiopia has invested in agrarian reform to subsidise industries through economic processing zones. These efforts arguably will bear fruit in the transition to First World status. Very few nations prosper without well-organised and strategically focused hard work and sacrifice. Africans need to learn to direct effort and resources with a long-term goal. Leadership is key. |
adonbilivit:can u maintain her? if she start asking for money for this....... money for that...... can u afford it.... soup wet sweet, Na money kill am. stop grumbling and do things that will make pretty girls notice u. |
KingRex1:so u will regard a OAU 2.1 graduate more than his Oxford or Harvard Universities contemporaries? just because oau students study under a self-induced harsh environment.... guy..... u gotta be kidding me. |
TonyeBarcanista:Nigerian embassy in America do celebrate Nigerian independence...... and they can damn well invite whosoever they feel like inviting..... including members of the diplomatic community in America and us lawmakers. |
OjukwuWarBird:ekiti and ondo state voted pdp... what's the population of non-indigenes in those state my home town of ijebu voted pdp. guy..... SW goes beyond Lagos. In SW, it was a 60-40 voting pattern. |
lordkit2:freeze is yet to see the Olympic swimming team or the cycling team. he should shut up n stop meddling into things he knows little or nothing about. |
catchdwind4rmkd:less than 1% of prospective buyers got dollar at #197 when it was that rate. even the almighty fuel importers couldn't get at that rate. there's already inflation, everything u buy is at the black market rate. plane ticket is at black market rate and only buhari's daughter pays her school fees at the rate of #197 to a dollar. thus, there's no need keeping it at that unrealistic rate. in fact, whosoever buy dollar at #197 is defrauding the nation because he's buying a heavily subsidised dollar. |
predatorX:it's very much possible..... water hyacinth can support the weight of humans on it, they are invasive - grow very fast n quite dense. |
Nigerians can lie...... |
thesicilian:there's nothing wrong with America...it still remain the greatest nation on the earth. their only setback was outsourcing their manufacturing base to China and Mexico .... and Donald Trump is going to bring it back. watch as ur so called China economy struggle when Donald Trump put an end to that madness called outsourcing. |
holocron:he was impeached by the congress |
dreamworld:guy drop it your post reeks of ignorance how can u say Yoruba's don't travel..... have u been to Kano, kaduna or jos....... those places have strong n established Yoruba communities..... I don't even want to get started with abroad.... because that's needless |
CandyDiamond:I hope you know the definition of culture and it's dynamism. So u expect people that left their ancestral homeland more than 300 years ago and transported to an entirely different culture- with all links to the former severed- to retain the original language without the influence of their adopted language. Lucumi is a corrupt dialect of the Yoruba language with strong infusion of Spanish language and tone. I'm not aware of any other African language mix......u may show me if there's proof. It may be a liturgical language, but it's by no means a mere ceremonial chant......its The words has meaning and spellings are more or less similar to Yoruba words. It's a language used for communication and that's what matters. It's even regarded as the 3rd language in Cuba after Spanish and Creole. Please Google the santeria people and learn about their culture, beliefs, religion, customs, traditions........ Then come back and tell me if they are not deeply rooted in the Yoruba culture These are people that venerate and celebrate xango more than Yoruba people. They identify with their roots and some do visit Yoruba hinterlands frequently. There is no osun-osogbo festival they will not send delegates. Please use Google images, the pics are there........I don't have time to starting loading. |
CandyDiamond:Cure your ignorance by reading....... Google santeria n the lukunmi language....... Google the musicians from Cuba called ibeyi........ This people identify with their roots...... Some even visit ife for religious pilgrimage. |
mikolo80:Guy just shut up U ve made ur point......... And nobody is buying it |
skywalker001:stop confusing oil producing states with Niger delta states. going by your logic, Lagos is Niger delta since commercial exploration of oil has commenced in Lagos. the true night delta states are delta, Bayelsa, n rivers. The river niger delta can be seen solely in those 3 states. |
EgunMogaji:sorrie......but wetin that black girl do...... are male police officers allowed to assault females like that? |
Kachisbarbie:sorry o....... but I'm just curious..... why are u so much into ladies...... that u know those that are fine, those that dresses well, and where they are located........ for a lady that u are...... I find that unusual..... |
oduastates:I love your unbiased analysis...... It's good to know people like you still exist in this country....... It shows there's a ray of hope for this nation....... A lot of people think disintegration of this country is the permanent solution..... They are in for a shock...... The answer lies in your very last statement......a change in the mind set of our people...... As a people, we should know that development n prosperity cannot be imported neither can they be bought with money...... U also cannot buy nor borrow your way into prosperity. It's also not what one single leader can bring about with a magic wand. Prosperity n development are cultures that people identify n relates with, with a mindset to make it a way of life. Unfortunately, these things seem alien to us n that's why West African nations are yet to attain any meaningful or sustainable prosperity index. If we are waiting for foreigners to develop our nation.......I'm sorry, but we're on a long thing. |
Dawdy:I hope you know there's an international space station in the low earth orbit n people live n work in it, sometimes for months......... these astronauts escape from the earth n do get back in...... bcoz I don't really understand ur point about humans escaping to moon n coming back..... also there are so many video footage of the earth's orbital movement...... mostly from ISS or video images of satellites in space. if u are waiting for the video of the earth orbiting the sun...... then u obviously don't know what u really talking about |
MrKong:uk usa canada australia india uae China allows autonomy for some regions in his kingdom E. g Hong Kong, macau |
DropShot:but that warri-effurun axis is developed...... it may not be that economically viable when compared to other cities like Ibadan..... and there may be limited opportunities....... but when it comes to development, I give it to them. I don't know of asaba...... I guess it's a new place, this still growing..... |
Adaure4ever:maybe u stayed in the ancient areas of ibadan..... Ibadan is more than those derelict buildings u see in beere, oje, iyaganku etc besides, apart from Abuja centre and some parts of island in Lagos, the rest of Nigerian cities needs a detailed tutorial and proper orientation on urban renewal/town planning. Even, the so called port Harcourt looks more like a huge unplanned construction site. I was very much dissapointed the day I visited, n this is meant to be our third most developed city in this country. |
Whathaveidone:Lagos is regarded as a city state.... just like Singapore, Hong Kong |
dimieprincess:we can argue the data above as it relates to most towns....... I personally don't believe either ogbomoso or oyo towns has that much people......... but never u say ph has more population than Ibadan. the size of port Harcourt metropolis is 1900sq/km while that of Ibadan is over 3000sq/km, this is due to ever growing population of the latter. I've been to port Harcourt, I can boldly say the population attributed to it is appropriate. |
Rayhutar:for Christ sake...... take a history book and READ! ...... or at worst, google this things up...... Herbert Macaulay was never a slave.... he was born, raised and died in Lagos....... A free man all his life.... . what the hell is wrong with u! |
blueAgent:entertainment- which is the only peaceful American export nowadays..... |
blueAgent:botswana bahamas Barbados |
I hope he employs people to clean up the streets......... Just like the one he’s standing...... |
Amelian:An entrepreneur, consultant and professional indeed....... Yet couldn't comprehend a simple message...... The oyinbo lady was simply raising awareness on unemployment in Nigeria. The ladies' family be like someone wey dey suffer... OLODO... |
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