An Analysis of Why Nations Fail

Inequality is my wicked problem. It affects everyone regardless of who you are or where you come from. Every person is different and different isn’t always seen as good. People will treat you differently because of your differences and this inequality is represented in so many different forms that we do not know how to stop it. I will approach this topic by viewing it through the eyes of a political scientist and an anthropologist. By tackling this problem through this filter, I can attempt to identify the regulations held by the government that prevent the eradication of inequality; as well as, locating societal norms that support inequality through behaviors and lifestyles among various communities. This research will help better our future by teaching people how to treat one another equally and will provide future generations with opportunities not yet available to us.

Jared Diamond is a world renowned scientist, author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and currently a geography professor at UCLA. Of his six books published, we will be looking at the last chapter of his fourth book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. In this book Diamond utilizes the comparative method to find resemblance in past societal collapses with our current society. In the chapter entitled, "The World as Polder: What Does it Mean to Us Today," Diamond points out that there are indeed many parallels between past and present societies and that our modern day society is currently on a path of self destruction , through examples such as globalization and the interdependency of each country.

Developing countries face many issues that developed countries don’t have to worry about. From structural problems within the government, to issues with feeding their citizens these countries struggle with what appears to be basic survival issues. In comparison to developed countries, citizens of developing countries life expectancy is shorter, This doesn’t mean that they lack the resources needed to succeed, a majority of these countries just lack the ability to manage their resources efficiently. Corruption, exploitation and lack of a stable economy prevent these developing countries from transitioning from developing to a developed nation .

In Collapse, Jared Diamond explores the demise of different civilizations throughout history and the signs that might portend for today's societies. The most evident and recurring themes are: climate change, environmental damage, friendly trade partners and hostile neighbors. Whether it is one or multiple of these factors that causes a society’s collapse, these four points of Diamond’s suggested five-point framework are consistently relevant to the collapse of a society.

Ever wondered what it would be like to live in a “perfect” society? Truth is, there are no “perfect” societies due to the many reasons that lead them to fall. So why do societies fall? Many great societies have fallen due to corrupt leaders, scarcity in necessary resources, and sickness. Germany, China, Sierra Leone, and the fictional society of Ember, are all examples of how once great societies fall. All of these societies fell due to corrupt leaders, resource scarcity, and sickness.

“If people destroy something replaceable by mankind their called vandals; if they destroy something irreplaceable by God, they are called developers.” – Joseph Wood Krutch

Inequality is a very concerning issue that affects millions of individuals worldwide. There are many forms of inequality but only two disciplines which include economic and social inequality. Both these forms describe the unequal distribution of resources among individuals in a group, among groups in a population, or among some countries. Between the two, economic inequality is the one more focused towards the business world. Economic inequality is the unequal distribution of income or wealth which can also be referred to as income inequality. This form is often associated with income fairness and is generally considered unfair due to the large differences between the high class individuals and the middle and lower class individuals. Income

Inequities in wealth, power, resource and quality of life are rising in the United States and globally people suffer from a low SES such as lower education, and healthcare, ultimately affect everyone in the society but the elite class. This impacts the lives of many ethnic and racial minorities who are discriminated and ignored making it real hard to decrease the deep gap between both classes.

Inequality has and continues to be an issue in the world. Whether its gender, social, political, or inequality of class, the problem of vast inequality is a reoccurring issue, that I predict will be an issue that will never be fixed. Several authors over the years have attempted to describe the issue and come up with a solution, such as Emmanuel Sieyes and Herbert Spencer.

Furthermore, equality of people is not necessarily derived even with similar educations. This can be detected by the lack of opportunities between the different classes of people and the discrimination among genders for decades. Both of which display the on-going presence of inequality even when schooling is

Wealth in relation to the upper class is defined not as income, but “the value of everything a person or family owns, minus any debts” (Domhoff 2005). Income according to Domhoff, “is what people earn from work, but also from dividends, interest, and any rents or royalties that are paid to them on properties they own” (Domhoff 2011). Those who own a great deal of wealth do not derive it from income, although they may have a high income resulting from the returns on their wealth. (Domhoff 2011) As for the power the upper class wields on politics, the economy and the government, it is indirectly carried out “through the activities of a wide variety of organizations and institutions. These organizations and institutions are financed and directed by those members of the upper class who have the interest and ability to involve themselves in protecting and enhancing the privileged social position of their class” (Domhoff 2005). This description of the upper class by Domhoff provides the basis for the argument that it institutionally exist - an organized, cohesive group set apart by its wealth and power.

Socioeconomic Inequality is known as one of the greatest issues to be solved in today’s world. Inequality rates were already alarming in undeveloped countries, however, the rapidness they are increasing in first world nations as well, is concerning. This fact has enhanced diverse problems such as poverty, criminality and social conflicts among others and I believe we cannot be indifferent to that.

In the reading, Krasner argues that many of the institutions that have been put into place to ensure that these nations prosper are aiding in the issues that these countries possess. The two institutions that are primarily used as policy tools for dealing with these states are governance assistance and transitional administration.

Those nations have failed because they fall into a cycle that has been repeated over and over, yet man refused to take heed. In the book The Fourth Turning,William Strauss and Niel Howe discovered that nations go through four cycles the first one compromising of an era of strengthening institutions and weakening individualism, a second one of spiritual upheaval, the third era is one of strengthening

The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier discusses why the poorest countries are failing and then offers some insights and solutions to the problem. He says the four major problems in developing nations are: conflict, natural resources, bad neighbors, and bad governments. The conflicts are usually civil wars which have huge costs and the situation just becomes worse the longer the conflicts drag on. Collier states that countries rich in natural resources are often worse off than countries that are not, he attributes this problem to several different factors. One of the factors is that the resources open the possibility for conflict over the resources. Another factor is that if a country strictly focuses it’s on a specific natural resource then the other resources and industries might get forgotten and lose value. Being landlocked with bad neighbors can also be a large problem because it makes it almost impossible to be a part of world trade, so these landlocked countries have to depend on their neighbors for most of the trade and materials. A bad government can also be very destructive to a country’s economy, if they create unreasonable and restrictive policies. The smaller countries are also at a disadvantage because it is hard for them to get any investors, because the investors would much rather invest in well-known countries like India or China. After Collier stated all the problems he also offered up some possible solutions. He believed that aid agencies should concentrate