The North-South Divide (or Rich-Poor Divide[citation needed]) is a socio-economic and political division that exists between the wealthy developed countries, known collectively as "the North", and the poorer developing countries (least developed countries), or "the South."[1] Although most nations comprising the "North" are in fact located in the Northern Hemisphere (with the notable exceptions of Australia and New Zealand), the divide is not wholly defined by geography. The North is home to four out of five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and all members of the G8. "The North" mostly covers the West and the First World, with much of the Second World. The expression "North-South divide" is still in common use, but …show more content…
On an ideological level, some development geographers have argued that current concentration on the North-South divide as the main organizing principle for understanding the world economy has overlooked the role of inter-imperial conflicts between the United States, Japan, and Europe.[5].
[edit]Defining development
Being categorized as part of the “North” implies development as opposed to belonging to the “South” which implies a lack thereof. The north becomes synonymous with economic development and industrialization while the South represents the previously colonized countries which are in need of help in the form of international aid agendas [6] In order to understand how this divide occurs, a definition of “development” itself is needed.
The Dictionary of Human Geography defines development as “[p]rocesses of social change or [a change] to class and state projects to transform national economies".[7] This definition entails an understanding of economic development which is imperative when trying to understand the north-south divide.
Economic Development is a measure of progress in a specific economy. It refers to advancements in technology, a transition from an economy based largely on agriculture to one based on industry and an improvement in living standards.[8][9]
Other factors that are included in the conceptualization of what a developed country is include life expectancy and the
Economic growth is an increase in the capacity of an economy to produce goods and services from one period of time to another. In simple terms, it refers to an increase in aggregate productivity.
Rostow's suggests that development is seen as an evolutionary process that countries progress up a ladder, his five-stage model;
Economic development can be defined generally as involving an improvement in economic welfare, measured using a variety of indices, such as the Human Development Index (HDI). A developing country is described as a nation with a lower standard of living, underdeveloped industrial base, and a low HDI relative to other countries. There are several factors which may have the effect of limiting economic development in such countries. Factors such as these include: primary product dependency, the savings gap and political instability.
Economic Development: Growth is associated with structural, social change and change in the important institutions of the economy.
The separation of border between the developing
During 1790 and 1850, the United States was rapidly changing. The country was learning to live on its own, apart from England with its own economy, laws, and government. Not long after it declared independence that a rift between North and South began to start. The North believed in the Puritan Merchant role model, and the South in the role model of the English Country Squire. The difference in point of views soon caused the United States to start to split apart before eventually completely separating and resulting in one the bloodiest wars in American history. Prior to the outbreak of the civil war in 1861-1865, many events occurred within the years leading up to it that that foreshadowed the eventual succession of the southern “cotton states”. The Union and the Confederacy had begun to grow apart politically and economically following the election of President Lincoln. The outcome of the 1860 election sparked controversy and disagreement between the two sides, most specifically about the topic of slavery. Blacks had become bound to a life of slavery, and had become a staple of the American work force and economy.
Sectional differences between the North and South states were a big cause in the start of the Civil War. One of the major differences is that the South had rich, fertile land, resulting in a great agrarian cultured community. While the North has less fertile land and chose to focus on factories for a main source of source of economy. The second main difference is their locations. The South is placed at the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. Making it a more tropical environment, While the North has more of a rocky, rainy environment making it tough for farming. Since the South was more fertile in land and had more tropical weather. Farmers in the South then used slaves to work on their plantations to maximize their wealth. On the other
The Society is constantly developing and changing, but the progress in development has changed for the worse. The society should be a major focus ,and people should try to find ways to better the community. Social Development attempts to explain quality changes in the structure and framework of society, that helps the society to better realize aims and objectives. Development is a process of social change, not a set of policies and programs instituted for some specific results. In order for the society to improve, there should be a main focus on what makes the development horrible such as; , police brutality,technology, and abortion.
Underdevelopment can also be, and has been, understood as a reflection or product of the economic, social, political and cultural characteristics of said country. Yet with a look at history we see that the underdevelopment of a “satellite” nation can be traced directly back to the past and current economic relations the nation has held with developed “metropoles”. This relationship between a metropolitan and satellite countries pertains back to the process and development of the world capitalist system, which benefits its Western
Economic development can be defined generally as involving an improvement in economic welfare, measured using a variety of indices, such as the Human Development Index (HDI). A developing country is described as a nation with a lower standard of living, underdeveloped industrial base, and a low HDI relative to other countries. There are several factors which may have the effect of limiting economic development in such countries. Factors such as these include: primary product dependency, the savings gap and political instability.
Why is it that some countries are classified as developed and others not? What is the criteria used to determine this? Some people believe that within the criteria to evaluate a country’s development, democracy and economic development must be taken into consideration, and that a link exists between them. Democracy can be defined as a form of government in which people choose their leaders by voting, it also implies equal rights and treatment. (Merriam Webster n.d.) By the other hand, economic development can be defined as the progress in an economy referring to an improvement of living standards, the adoption of new technologies and the transition form an agricultural to an industrial based economy. (Business Dictionary n.d.)
Economic growth is a necessary but not sufficient condition of economic development. There is no single definition that encompasses all the aspects of economic development. The most comprehensive definition perhaps of economic development is the one given by Todaro: ‘Development is not purely an economic phenomenon but rather a multi – dimensional process involving reorganization and re orientation of the entire economic and social system. Development is a process of improving the quality of all human lives with three equally important aspects. These are: 1.
Development is defined as “the process of change operating over time- the process by which countries and societies advance and become richer’’. The modern 20th century defines development as” the process of change which allows all the basic needs of a region to be met, thereby achieving greater social justice and quality of life and encouraging people to fulfill their potential’’. Todaro defines development as “the process of improving the quality of all human lives through raising people’s living standards, their incomes, consumption levels of food, medical services, education, raising people’s self-esteem through the establishment of social, political and economic systems and institutions that promote dignity and respect and increasing people’s
The developing nations were often seen as periphery whereas the developed nations are seen as the core. Mainly because the less developed countries were targeted for their resources. Resources, such as, agriculture, tourism, or a place to operate a strategic, military base. All this is just another way of saying that the developed nations were exploiting the developing nations through their people, products and resources both natural and manmade. All that this accomplished was to make the developing nations more wealthy and the developing nations were provided jobs but at the expense of people both local and rural and immigrants in search of jobs that led to over population, lack of housing and shortage of jobs. This of course leads to more problems that the developed nations have experienced and dealt with and have almost succeeded in solving completely but the developing nations have yet to find their own solutions to deal with
Development is a term that can be used in many different contexts whether it is social, economical, political etc. However generally development refers to an improvement in certain areas: