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Living Standards and Human Development World population: 7+ billion (2011) Severe poverty: 1.2+ billion Without food: 850+ million Illiterate: 850+ million (540+million women) Living Standards: ◦ Measured in income people earn, health, levels of nutrition, life expectancy, literacy, and the status of women and children. ◦ Is a measure of the prosperity and quality of life of a country. ◦ Generally speaking the higher a countries’ standard of living, the better off are its people. How does one measure the standard of living? ◦ To measure the standard of living for countries one must use the UN Human Development Index, a ranking of the standard of living for every country in the world. Quality of life is the degree of well-being an individual or group of people feel about their life. ◦ Unlike standard of living, quality of life is not a tangible thing, and so it cannot be measured directly= subjective/individual feeling. It consists of two components: ◦ Physical The physical aspects includes: health, diet and protection against pain and disease. ◦ Psychological The psychological aspects include: stress, worry, pleasure, subjective life-satisfactions and objective determinants of quality of life. ◦ Health ◦ Level of nutrition ◦ Life expectancy ◦ Literacy ◦ Status of women and children ◦ Freedom of expression/Rights ◦ The right to a safe, clean environment Every year the United Nations publishes a Human Development Index Report. The report contains an index that ranks its member countries according to three measures: ◦ Adult Literacy ◦ Life Expectancy ◦ Per capita GDP (Per Person Gross Domestic Product) This map shows Human Development Index (HDI) for 169 countries in the World. The HDI is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living for countries worldwide. Where does (did) Canada rank according to the HDR? (Hint: refer to the table on page 341) ◦ Today we are ranked 5th in the Human Development Index Report. Overall, the index indicates living conditions in 85 countries are worse then they were in the 1980’s. Percentage of a population who read and write to a standard. Measures level of education. Literacy higher in developed countries. What is GDP ? = Gross Domestic Product ◦ It is the gross national income of a country = the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in one year. ◦ Canada = 2011 = $1.57 Trillion. Countries with massive wealth for only a few (i.e. Saudi Arabia). Countries have different costs of living (i.e. per capita income in Canada vs. Cuba). Some countries don’t measure their goods and services (i.e. poor accounting; corruption, trade, not money used). Per Capita GDP (Gross Domestic Product) The total value of all goods and services produced in a country divided by total population you get the average GDP per person/per capita. ◦ Canada = $40,457 (2011) The United Nations (UN) is: ◦ An international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations. Its aim was to stop wars between countries and to provide a platform for dialogue. The organization has six principal organs/sections: The General Assembly The Security Council The Economic and Social Council The Secretariat The International Court of Justice The UN Trusteeship Council (which is currently inactive) ◦ Other prominent UN systems agencies include: The World Health Organization (WHO) The World Food Programme (WFP) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) The UN and other organizations have been working to reduce the gap between: ◦ Developed countries ◦ Newly Industrialized countries (NICs) ◦ Developing countries ◦ HIPCs ◦ Infrastructure ◦ Developed countries: Wealthy nations with a modern/developed infrastructure, have industrialized, are wealthier, have high literacy, smaller population that depend on immigration (i.e. Canada, USA, Britain, France, Germany, Japan). ◦ Developing countries: Those nations that have no modern infrastructure or many industries/resources, have not industrialized or are just beginning to industrialize, are relatively poor, have low literacy, and high populations (i.e. Rwanda, Kenya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Poland, Cuba). ◦ Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs): Those nations that are building their infrastructure and industry (i.e. South Africa, Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Turkey). Infrastructure - transportation, communication links (phone, Internet, TV), schools, hospitals, sewage + fresh water systems. ◦ HIPCs (Highly (or Heavily) indebted poor country/countries): These developing nations owe developed countries money; are in massive debt. i.e. Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Bolivia. Recent Solutions: ◦ Wealthy nations forgive debt load, provide low-interest loans or no interest loans, provide technology, education/knowledge to build infrastructure . . . But not an easy answer... ◦ Corruption in government, political instability (coups/overthrow of government/civil war/constant “elections”). ◦ Modernize too quickly (increase in poverty/people pushed out). ◦ Rise in oil prices (need oil to run machines to build). ◦ Rise in western goods (demand outweighs supply). Air Water Food Shelter Clothing Love Education Medical WANTS: Everything else Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs The World Bank (an international lending agency) classifies absolute poverty as: Absolute poverty: People who receive below one dollar a day. There are 1.5 billion est. people below the poverty line. Poverty Line: The line that divides the poor and rich in regards to 1) income 2) quality of life. Poverty is: ◦ a shortage of common basic needs of life such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. ◦ Poverty may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment, which aid in the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens. Poverty is measured differently in developed and developing countries. Poverty is hard to measure – it is difficult to compare living standards. Poverty in one country will not equal poverty in another. ◦ For example, in Canada people in the population living below the poverty line can still get social benefits from the government not the case in many other countries! The poor in Canada: ◦ 87% have flat screen TVs ◦ 98% have a radio ◦ 52% have a car ◦ 64% have a washing machine ◦ 90% have access to regular medical care The poor in North or South Sudan? Accounting systems in the developed world can find out: ◦ The level of industrialization (on a national scale) ◦ The value of services ◦ Exports and imports (global trade) Different standards in less-developed countries/developing countries: ◦ Trade done locally (vs internationally). ◦ Massive gap between the rich and the poor. Prior to 1999 Canada set its poverty line based on an income figure ($26,000). Now it is based on % of income (56%) used on the necessities of life to take in to account the difference in the cost of living between regions in the country. Families that spend above 56% of their income on the basic necessities are considered to be impoverished. 1 in 10 Canadians are considered poor. About 9% or 3.2 million Canadians are living in poverty. In BC, 20.6% of children live in poverty (2014). ◦ That is 169,420 children. ◦ BC has the worst child poverty rate in the nation = (national average 15%). Approximately, 1 in 8 children in Canada are living in poverty. ◦ Every month, 770,000 people in Canada use food banks & 40% of those relying on food banks are children. The poverty rate experienced by firstgeneration immigrant and refugee children is 33 per cent (2013). Poverty among visible minorities is at 22 per cent (2013). The poverty rate of status First Nations children living on reserves was triple that of non-Indigenous children. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 62 and 64 per cent of status First Nations children were living below the poverty line (2013), compared with 15 and 16 per cent among non-Indigenous children in most of the other provinces. The Poverty Trap: Is a spiraling mechanism (a “tornado”) which forces people to remain poor. It is so binding in itself that it doesn't allow the poor people to escape it/makes it very difficult to escape poverty. Because of Megaprojects: ◦ Funded by the UN via the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and national governments to build infrastructure/large-scale projects. Developing countries borrow money to build megaprojects to pay off debt yet never get out of debt; keep spiralling in debt because owe more $/never make more $! Example: Africa’s Debt: $300 Billion (estimate) ◦ Africa spends about $15 billion a year on debt repayments but gets only $12.7 billion in aid during the same period = there is always a shortfall; remain in poverty/in debt. Women’s Status in the world/developing countries: ◦ Male dominated societies (patriarchal societies; men in power in all parts of society) = women are seen as less-than, unimportant, expendable. ◦ No legal rights or viewed as property. ◦ Get married and have children under 15 (sometimes as young as 9). ◦ Gender-based violence/Violence against women and girls. ◦ Education seen as “wasted” on girls. Women in developing countries: ◦ Often have lower social status; males dominate and rule; women are seen as “less-than”. ◦ Often seen as property by the laws of the state and by the men in their lives. ◦ Often have no or little legal rights. ◦ Experience high rates of violence and various forms of abuse (several lead to death); normalized and at times “sanctioned” by law and cultural traditions. ◦ Literacy rates are often lower for women than men. ◦ Often fewer girls go to school than boys; denied education; “wasted”; “needed” to do tradition gender roles at home. ◦ Where women do not get a secondary education the average number of children they will have is seven. ◦ While those women with a secondary education have on average three children. ◦ Often do not have easy access to contraceptives or education about birth control, HIV/AIDS, and/or other sexually transmitted infections/diseases. Girls under 15 are five times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than women in their twenties. If a mother is under 18, her baby’s chance of dying in the first year of life is 60 per cent greater than that of a baby born to a mother older than 19. Even if the child survives, he or she is more likely to suffer from low birth weight, malnourishment and late physical and cognitive development. United Nations (UN) Charter: ◦ “To achieve international co-operation … in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race [racialized identity], sex [gender], language, or religion.” The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: ◦ “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” International monetary aid (with no interest; via NGOs). Training the people to take charge of their own destiny – jobs, investment, collectives. Re-socializing the population to emphasize gender-equality, non-violence, and human being’s inherent rights. Free Public Elementary and Secondary Education for all regardless of traditions/gender/socio-economic status. Access to free or low-cost post-secondary education and subsequent jobs opportunities. Malala Yousafzai, 16, and Her Miraculous Story of Surviving Being Shot by the Taliban https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXvs1vw iD0M https://www.malala.org/malalas-story Children's Status in Developing Countries: ◦ Child malnutrition ◦ Child labour ◦ Tourism sex trade ◦ Child soldiers Vulnerable Dependants: ◦ Few too many children are uneducated and exploited as labours, even forced into the sex trade. Children caught in the Sex trade U5MR – Under 5 Mortality Rate: ◦ Used to measure human development; used by UNICEF. ◦ Children who die under 5 years old (causes = poverty: malnutrition, disease, war, labour). In some African countries the mortality rate is 50 times higher than industrialized nations. ◦ The majority of deaths are due to malnutrition. ◦ Disease, dirty water, lack of hygiene are also important factors. Over 300,000 children and youth/young adults (under 18) are in armed conflicts, many in the various countries of Africa: ◦ Some societies see 16-17 year olds as adults. ◦ In some nations service in the military is not voluntary; it is a tribal tradition. Personal Stories of Child Soldiers: ◦ Ishmael Beah – A Long Way Gone ◦ Emmanuel Jal – War Child ◦ Rebelle/War Witch - film 250 million 5-14 year olds are working. ◦ Half are in full-time jobs. ◦ The problem is the lack of labour laws in many developing countries and absolute poverty the forces all members of the family to work. ◦ IQBAL MASIH: Pakistani anti-child laborer campaigner who was assassinated in 1995. ◦ FREEDOM HERO: IQBAL MASIH ◦ 5:29 minutes ◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0D6 K18wq8A ◦ Craig Kielburger of Free the Children inspired by Iqbal ◦ It Takes a Child ◦ 3:23 minutes (clip from film) ◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afClM 91uQFU Mauritanian girls weave a straw rug. Young boys carrying bricks at a construction site to earn a living in New Delhi, India. Children selling handicrafts in Bangkok, Thailand. Columbia boy shifts through trash for items of value to sell. Child Abuse in the Developing World: ◦ Prevented from attending school. ◦ Are used as child labourers. ◦ Are exploited sexually by organized crime. ◦ Suffer from poor nutrition and health. UN Convention on the Rights of Children: ◦ States an ideal situation for children. ◦ Difficult to negotiate with countries and fund programs. ◦ Disagreement of age of a child between 16-18. According to the UN: ◦ Children have a right to a free primary education. ◦ Children must be protected by the State from economic exploitation and unhealthy conditions. ◦ Children must be protected by the State from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. ◦ Children have a right to the highest attainable standard of health in a State. ◦ Children under 15 must not take part in hostilities. Who loans $ and why are some countries in debt? ◦ After WWII (1945) the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank were set up as part of the United Nations to loan money and help developing countries improve their standards of living by economic growth. ◦ Many projects failed and damaged the environment. ◦ In the 1960’s, Western Banks (Western Europe, USA, Canada) lent billions to African countries with high interest. ◦ World economic slow downs hurts countries’ exporting economy. ◦ Some have corrupt dictators who steal the money for themselves and their closest political friends or filter it into the military. IMF and World Bank lends more money to pay off debts which have many conditions attached to those loans/debts and this ended up hurting the countries instead of helping them. ◦ For instance, the IMF wanted the debtor governments to agree to encourage foreign investment, grow cash crops for export, and have some government services run by private companies = all of these requirements took money out of the hands of the state and left them with nothing. Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs): ◦ A program that requires an indebted country to restructure its economy by encouraging foreign investment, increasing exports, and turning government services over to the private sector in return for loans from the World Bank and IMF. ◦ Result = Countries can’t pay debts and the interest just keeps on growing (which results in greater debt). Many debtor countries have few natural resources, or receive low prices for them on the world market because there is an oversupply, or their resources are under the control of foreign Multinational Corporations/Companies (MNCs). Multinational Corporations/Companies (MNCs): ◦ A corporation/enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. ◦ Can have a powerful influence in local economies, and even the world economy, and play an important role in international relations and globalization. ◦ For example, Ghana, which produces 70% of the world’s cocoa, must sell the crop to four MNCs who control the price. ◦ Very little of the profit filters back to the Ghanaian farmer impossible to earn money to pay off their debts. ◦ African countries have also suffered droughts and floods – again indebted. Foreign Aid: ◦ In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, or foreign aid) is a voluntary transfer of resources (often money) from one country to another, given at least partly with the objective of benefiting the recipient country. 1999 HIPC (Highly Indebted Poor Countries) Agreement: ◦ Cancels $111 billion owned by HIPCs. ◦ $243 billion outstanding. Since 2000, Canada has forgiven all overseas development aid debt to 15 HIPCs except Myanmar (formerly Burma) which has a military dictatorship. More bilateral aid for development (assistance from one government to another) money given as grants now (instead of loans). • • 1. debt is a major cause of poverty in some developing countries. 2. many debts are old and much interest has been collected. • 3. poorest people suffer the most. • 4. rich/poor gap grows with debt. 1. borrowers knew they had to pay when loans were accepted. 2. forgiving too much debt may have a direct effect on the economies of developed countries. 3. debt forgiveness can be tied to conditions. Should aid be given to countries with a dictatorship? What are the arguments for and against giving aid? ◦ There is no guarantee that aid will reach who need it most. ◦ Aid might be used first for the military and to support the dictatorship. ◦ The best way to change the practices of dictatorships is to deny them money. ◦ Many cultures have values that differ from those of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. ◦ People should be able to follow their own culture, even if their views conflict with those of Western society. ◦ Change can be brought about best through dialogue with dictatorships, not by pressure. Different types of aid to developing countries from Canada: ◦ 1. Multilateral Aid ◦ 2. Bilateral Aid ( also called Tied Aid) ◦ 3. CIDA ◦ 4. NGOs 1. Multilateral: funded by a number of governments: ◦ (+) Canadian aid makes large-scale, infrastructure projects possible ◦ (+) CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) distributes aid through UN – a trusted agency 1. Multilateral: funded by a number of governments ◦ (-) Affects Canada’s Economy by providing funding for another country vs. our own ◦ (-) What about domestic affairs? = what is happening in the country in regards to human rights? Who does it really help? 2. Bilateral/Tied Aid: ◦ Assistance given by one country to another that requires the receiving country to buy goods and services from donor country; restructure its economy. Bilateral/Tied Aid: ◦ Ex. Philippines get help from USA, in return they need to buy US goods and services. ◦ (+) grants (not loans to developing countries); do not have to pay back the $ Bilateral/Tied Aid: ◦ (-) donor country gets more benefits than receiving country; sell produces + make $ ◦ (-) conditions/rules (limitations) applied with this type of aid; country receiving aid it tied to country giving the aid via have to buy products from the donor country only 3. CIDA: Canadian International Development Agency = work with people in developing countries to develop the tools for them to meet their own needs. ◦ (+) supports projects in 100 of the world’s poorest countries ◦ (-) less than 20 % of Canada’s aid is for BASIC health needs 4. NGOs: Non-Governmental Organizations; grassroots level (from the people not the government or corporations) ◦ (+) direct assistance to communities ◦ (-) no aid from government (or very little) rely on donations and volunteers NGO = Non-Governmental Organization: ◦ Is any local, national or international citizens’ group (i.e. not a part of government) which does not work for profit (a non-profit/not for profit organization). ◦ NGOs work in diverse fields such as law, refugee work, human rights, and disarmament. ◦ Their work can range from influencing policy or organizing communities around special issues to providing technical or medical assistance to conducting research. ◦ Many are associated with the UN. ◦ Some prominent NGOs include: Oxfam, We the Peoples, Earth Charter, Doctors Without Borders, Canadian Red Cross, Free the Children, the David Suzuki Foundation, Greenpeace. Reasons in Favour: ◦ Aid projects have a positive effect on improving people’s lives: health, nutrition, and education. ◦ We live in a Global Village; a globalized/interconnected world so what affects another country affects us. ◦ We are wealthy, so Canada should share. ◦ To close the gap between rich and poor. Reasons Against: ◦ Aid does not concentrate/focus on basic human needs; does not get to the root of the problem. ◦ Should look at problems within Canada before other countries; us first then share. ◦ Should deal with out own national debt not get deeper into dept to help other countries. ◦ Foreign aid not working; poverty persists. Net wealth of 10 richest billionaires: ◦ $133+ billion! more than 1.5x the total national income of the Least Developed Countries. Cost of debt relief to the 20 poorest countries: ◦ $ 5.5+ billion! equivalent to the cost of building Euro Disney. $ spent on dog and cat food for six countries in 9 days: ◦ $700 million. $ spent today in world: ◦ $92 billion on junk food. ◦ $66 billion on cosmetics. ◦ $900 billion on military defence. Amount of money needed each year (in addition to current expenditures) to provide reproductive health care for all women in developing countries: $12 billion Amount of money spent annually (yearly) on perfumes in Europe and the United States: $12 billion Amount of money needed each year (in addition to current expenditures) to provide water and sanitation for all people in developing nations: $9 billion Amount of money spent annually on cosmetics in the United States: $8 billion Amount of money needed each year (in addition to current expenditures) to provide basic health an nutrition needs universally in the developing world: $13 billion Amount of money spent each year on pet food in Europe and the United States: $17 billion Amount of money needed each year (in addition to current expenditures) to provide basic education for all people in developing nations: $6 billion Amount of money spent each year on militaries worldwide: $780 billion Combined wealth of the world's richest 225 people: $1+ trillion Combined annual income of the world's poorest 2.5 billion people: $1+ trillion 14:15 minutes http://www.ted.com/talks/tristram_stuar t_the_global_food_waste_scandal.html Note down two thing that you found important and/or interesting. The proportion of human kind living in poverty has fallen faster in the past 50 years than in the previous 500 years. Since 1960 child death rates in developing countries have more than halved, malnutrition rates have declined by almost a third, the proportion of children out of primary school has fallen from more than half to less than a quarter. 1. 2. Do developed nations have an obligation or duty to help? Why or why not? Explain your thoughts. Are there added benefits to helping developing nations? Why or why not? Explain your thoughts.