FREE ESSAY ON THE GAP BETWEEN THE RICH AND THE POOR TODAY.

THE GAP BETWEEN THE RICH AND THE POOR TODAY.

The gap between rich and poor in the world today.
In the world of 1995, there are still huge differeces between rich and poor, developed
and less developed countries. But why? Who is to blame? What can we do about it? Many
things have been tried out to solve these problems, but does it work?
It seems bizarre, that we, modern, intelligent people, have not yet succeded to get rid
of the differences between DCs (developed countries) and LDCs (less developed
countries).
We try, don't we? Every year, we grant 2% of our Gross National Product, GNP, to foreign
aid to help the LDCs to get a better standard of living (better agriculture, more and
better schools and hospitals, access to health personell, medicines, etc.). 
On the other hand, is our standard of living the best for LDCs, and the one we should
impose on them? For instance, what is the point of giving complex macinery like tractors
and harvesters, which need expensive fuel and maintenance, to people who have harvested
their crops by manpower for hundreds of years?
We know for a fact that the money we grant is not being used adequately. A lot of the
money is taken by the governments of the less developed countries, and a great amount of
the sum are not being used to the purposes they are meant for. Bribery and corruption are
huge problems in developing countries.
It makes more sense to dig wells for people who walk for miles every day to get their
daily water supply, than to support officials with BMWs and grand houses.
The World Bank was established, and a large amound of capital was poured in, despite of
the fact that the Third World lacked the level of infrastructure, the economic and social
background, and the skilled personnel of Europe.
The failure of this model of economic development to produce economic well-being and
growth for most Third World countries is due to a number of factors. 
These factors include the concentration of economic resources in the hands of the rich
and of unrepresentative governments, the exclusion of the large majority of affected
populations from economic decisionmaking, and the integration of Southern economies in an
international market where they cannot compete equitably.
The industrialized countries are still holding the less developed countries down. It's
the DCs who decide coffee-, tea- and sugar-prices, and consequently excercise an indirect
control of the countries' economy. We also protect ourselves with high import-taxes and
low import-quotas. Increasing protectionism in Northern markets shut off some Third World
exports, while at the same time, the increased export of some natural resources, lumber
from forests, for example, created the conditions for rapid environmental destruction. At
the same time, a major debt crisis developed, particularly among those countries in the
South that were producing primarily for Northern markets.
As the 1990s began, popular movements that included farmers, workers, women,
environmentalists and community groups in the South were challenging the adjustment
policies and large-scale projects that were ruining the poor and the environment. The
goal for these groups is sustainable development: building and protecting a base for
long-term development by protecting the natural-resources base, sustaining local culture
and traditions, and achieving economic growth by building on the capacities of local
populations. 
In Africa, there are established, with help from, among other countries, Norway, mobile
doctors, who visit villages and remote places on regular basis. 
There are also built a lot of schools with foreign help, there is no doubt that the
educational system in most of the LDCs has been improved a great deal over the past few
years.
These are examples of basic human needs programs which are run with some success because
the host-country governments impose their own solutions on local problems.
This way of cooperating with the host-countries has proved to be the best way of helping
the developing countries to develop in their own pace and their Third World-way.
I guess this is what have kept the Third World countries undeveloped for such a long
time: That we have imposed on them OUR development with its flaws, disrespect for nature
and other cultures, and the greediness which threatens to ruin the balance of our
enviroment.
Bibliography
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