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Biotech tropicana Journal, Article 2
Biotech tropicana Journal
Short Communication ___________________________________________________________________________
Developing Countries Or Least Developed Countries: What’s The Difference ?
Aboubakar YARI1*; and Venus YARI 1.
1. Biotech tropicana, Inc, Parakou, Benin
*Corresponding Author: Aboubakar YARI, Bioteh tropicana, Inc, 02 Po Box 1038, Parakou, Benin Republic, e-mail: ayari@biotechtropicana.com
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Citation: Aboubakar YARI and Venus YARI, Developing Countries Or Least Developed Countries: What’s The Difference ? Biotech tropicana Journal. (2009), 1(1):12-25
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Keywords:developed Countries; Developing Countries; Least Developed Countries; Third World Countries
Published Online November 18, 2009
Abstract:
Development scholars make clear notes of the distinction between the terms developing countries, least developed countries, and third world countries. The terms may be incorrectly used as synonymous in less scholarly literature. Here we investigate different use of the terms in different contexts, and highlights the ambiguities in the use of the terms in each context. We then propose a country classification scheme based on Biotech tropicana, Inc classification criteria.
Keywords: Developed Country; Developing Countries; Least Developed Countries; Third World Countries
Background:
The term "developed country” is used to describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue and there is fierce debate about this. Economic criteria have tended to dominate discussions. One such criterion is income per capita and countries with high gross domestic product (GDP) per capita being described as developed countries. Another economic criterion is industrialization. Countries in which the tertiary and quaternary sectors of industry dominate being described as developed. More recently another measure, the Human Development Index, which combines with an economic measure, national income, with other measures, indices for life expectancy and education has become prominent. Developed countries being those with a high (HDI) rating. However, many anomalies exist when determining "developed" status by whichever measure is used. [1]
The term emerging country or emerging markets is first coined by the world bank economist Antoine Van Agtmael. The term emerging markets is used to describe a nation's social or business activity in the process of rapid growth and industrialization. Currently, there are approximately 28 emerging markets in the world, with the economies of India and China considered to be by far the two largest. Examples of emerging markets include China, India, some countries of Latin America (particularly Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico), some countries in Southeast Asia, most countries in Eastern Europe, Russia, some countries in the Middle East (particularly in the Arab Gulf States), and parts of Africa (particularly South Africa). Emphasizing the fluid nature of the category, political scientist Ian Bremmer defines an emerging market as "a country where politics matters at least as much as economics to the markets [2]
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned or neutral with either capitalism and NATO (which along with its allies represented the First World) or communism and the Soviet Union (which along with its allies represented the Second World). This definition provided a way of broadly categorizing the nations of the Earth into three groups based on social, political, and economic divisions. Although the term continues to be used colloquially to describe the poorest countries in the world, this usage is widely disparaged since the term no longer holds any verifiable meaning after the fall of the Soviet Union deprecated the terms First World and Second World. While there is no identical contemporary replacement, common alternatives include developing world and Global South. [3;4]
The term Developing country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no single internationally-recognized definition of developed country, and the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries, with some developing countries having high average standards of living. Some international organizations like the World Bank use strictly numerical classifications. The World Bank considers all low- and middle- income countries as "developing". [5]
The term "Least developed country” (LDC) is the name given to a country which according to the United Nations exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world. A country is classified as a Least Developed Country if it meets three criteria based on: low-income (three-year average GNI per capita of less than US $750, which must exceed $900 to leave the list) human resource weakness (based on indicators of nutrition, health, education and adult literacy) and economic vulnerability (based on instability of agricultural production, instability of exports of goods and services, economic importance of non-traditional activities, merchandise export concentration, handicap of economic smallness, and the percentage of population displaced by natural disasters) [6]. According to the United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) represent the poorest and weakest segment of the international community. Extreme poverty, the structural weaknesses of their economies and the lack of capacities related to growth, often compounded by structural handicaps, hamper efforts of these countries to improve the quality of life of their people. These countries are also characterized by their acute susceptibility to external economic shocks, natural and man-made disasters and communicable diseases. Most of the least developed countries are in Sub Saharan Africa. The current list of LDCs includes 49 countries; 33 in Africa, 15 in Asia and the Pacific and one in Latin America. Cape Verde graduated from the list at the end of 2007. [7]. The current list of LDCs maintained by United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States is summarized in the table below[8]:
Africa (33)
1Angola 18Madagascar 2Benin 19Malawi # 3Burkina Faso # 20Mali # 4Burundi # 21Mauritania 5Central African Republic # 22 Mozambique 6Chad # 23Niger # 7Comoros * 24 Rwanda # 8Democratic Republic of the Congo 25 São Tomé and Príncipe * 9Djibouti 26 Senegal 10Equatorial Guinea 27 Sierra Leone 11Eritrea 28 Somalia 12Ethiopia #29 Sudan 13Gambia 30 Togo 14Guinea 31 Uganda # 15Guinea-Bissau *32 United Republic of Tanzania 16Lesotho # 33Zambia # 17Liberia Asia (15)
1Afghanistan #9Nepal #
2Bangladesh10Samoa * 3Bhutan #11Solomon Islands * 4Cambodia12Timor-Leste * 5Kiribati *13Tuvalu * 6Lao People’s Democratic Republic #14Vanuatu * 7Maldives *15Yemen 8Myanmar Latin America and the Caribbean (1)
1Haiti *
"As the name suggests, LDCs are generally poor, underdeveloped countries, often marred by widespread conflict and political instability. Such countries are usually run by incompetent yet brutal dictatorships, and have very little democracy or freedom. They are commonly marred by ethnic clashes and lasting legacies of colonialism. Almost half of LDCs are in Sub-Saharan Africa".
GlobalOnenes, Availabele at, http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Least_developed_countries_-_Characteristics/id/1569492 Accessed November 10, 2009
Discussion:
It is well established that any classification is arbitrary, and depends on the philosophy of the author setting the classification criteria. Each author will set criteria that best serve their classification interest. The arbitrary nature of any classification is well illustrated in kofi Annan’s definition of developed countries. According to the former United Nations General Secretary, "A developed country is one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment”. According to Annan’s definition, a developed country is not necessary a wealthy one, but a country that strives to ensure that all its citizens enjoy a "free” and "healthy” life. Annan’s definition puts too much emphasis on the concept of human freedom and dignity. [5].
In classifying countries, economists often heavily relied on numbers. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) uses a flexible classification system that considers (1) per capita income level, (2) export diversification—so oil exporters that have high per capita GDP would not make the advanced classification because around 70% of its exports are oil, and (3) degree of integration into the global financial system. [5]. The World Bank classifies countries into four income groups. Low income countries have GNI per capita of US$975 or less. Lower middle income countries have GNI per capita of US$976–$3,855. Upper middle income countries have GNI per capita between US$3,856–$11,905. High income countries have GNI above $11,906. The World Bank classifies all low- and middle-income countries as developing but notes, "The use of the term is convenient; it is not intended to imply that all economies in the group are experiencing similar development or that other economies have reached a preferred or final stage of development. Classification by income does not necessarily reflect development status. [5].
Even where, one may reason that any classification is arbitrary, classification criteria set by a given author must not necessary be arbitrary. As mentioned above, scholarly advanced institutions such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank often make clear distinctions between the terms developed countries, developing countries, or least developed countries. Ambiguities in the terms developed countries, developing countries, or least developed countries are often well established in non scholarly literature. This fact is nicely summarized by "Online Nations”, as follow: "When people talk about the poorest countries of the world, they often refer to them with the general term Third World, and they think everybody knows what they are talking about. But when you ask them if there is a Third World, what about a Second or a First World, you almost always get an evasive answer. Other people even try to use the terms as a ranking scheme for the state of development of countries, with the First world on top, followed by the Second world and so on, that's perfect - nonsense.” [4].
To overcome , those "perfect-non senses”, Online Nations gave the following explanations: "To close the gap of information you will find here explanations of the terms. The use of the terms First, the Second, and the Third World is a rough, and it's safe to say, outdated model of the geopolitical world from the time of the cold war. There is no official definition of the first, second, and the third world. Below OWNO's explanation of the terms, Four Worlds. After World War II the world split into two large geopolitical blocs and spheres of influence with contrary views on government and the politically correct society:
1 - The bloc of democratic-industrial countries within the American influence sphere, the "First World". 2 - The Eastern bloc of the communist-socialist states, the "Second World". 3 - The remaining three-quarters of the world's population, states not aligned with either bloc were regarded as the "Third World." 4 - The term "Fourth World", coined in the early 1970s by Shuswap Chief George Manuel, refers to widely unknown nations (cultural entities) of indigenous peoples, "First Nations" living within or across national state boundaries. First there was the three worlds model. The origin of the terminology is unclear. In 1952 Alfred Sauvy, a French demographer, wrote an article in the French magazine L' Observateur which ended by comparing the Third World with the Third Estate: "ce Tiers Monde ignoré, exploité, méprisé comme le Tiers État" (this ignored Third World, exploited, scorned like the Third Estate). Other sources claim that the French Charles de Gaulle coined the term Third World, maybe de Gaulle only has quoted Sauvy. Definitions from Online Nations: The term "First World" refers to so called developed, capitalist, industrial countries, roughly, a bloc of countries aligned with the United States after World War II, with more or less common political and economic interests: North America, Western Europe, Japan and Australia. They are Countries of the "First World" . "Second World" refers to the former communist-socialist, industrial states, (formerly the Eastern bloc, the territory and sphere of influence of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic) today: Russia, Eastern Europe (e.g., Poland, the Czech Republic) and some of the Turk States (e.g., Kazakhstan) as well as China. They are Countries of the "Second World" Third World" are all the other countries, today often used to roughly describe the developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America. The term Third World includes as well capitalist (e.g., Venezuela) and communist (e.g., North Korea) countries, as very rich (e.g., Saudi Arabia) and very poor (e.g., Mali, Benin) countries. Third World Countries are classified by various indices: their Political Rights and Civil Liberties, the Gross National Income (GNI) and Poverty of countries, the Human Development of countries, and the Freedom of Information within a country. The term "Fourth World" first came into use in 1974 with the publication of Shuswap Chief George Manuel's: The fourth world : an Indian reality (amazon link to the book), the term refers to nations (cultural entities, ethnic groups) of indigenous peoples living within or across state boundaries (nation states). Native American Indians. American Indian Nations. For More links to nations of the "Fourth World" go to Nations Online Project respective country pages under "Natives". From the analysis of the definitions and discussions above, we at Biotech tropicana, Inc , defined two criteria for classifying countries: 1) human index, and 2) economic index. With regards to human index, we at Biotech tropicana, Inc value human freedom and dignity which depends heavily on education. At Biotech tropicana, Inc, we therefore place too much emphasis on human education. With respect to economic index, we agree with the International Monetary Fund that a "good” economy is not necessary the one that brings more money to the people, but the one that more diversified its exports, thereby reducing its vulnerability to international economic shocks. As explained by the International Monetary Fund, -export diversification- oil exporters that have high per capita GDP would not make the advanced classification because around 70% of its exports are oil. Such a country would be vulnerable to oil market crisis. Diversification , therefore, the degree of capacity of integration into the global financial system, is an important parameter that determined economical strength. Relying on these two principles, education and diversification, starting with limited initial resources, Aboubakar YARI and Venus YARI at Biotech tropicana, Inc, put together an extremely powerful structure designed to withstand any shock no matter its intensity, simply unbeatable Biotech tropicana, Inc. [9] Conclusion:
We propose Biotech tropicana, Inc country classification: with regard to development level, Biotech tropicana, Inc classified countries into three categories, 1) Developed Countries with high human and economic indexes, 2) Least Developed Countries with low human and economic indexes, and 3) Developing Countries with various levels of human and economic indexes lying between the developed and the least developed countries.
"The great battleground for the defense and expansion of freedom today is the whole southern half of the globe. The lands of the rising peoples. Their revolution is the greatest in human history. They seek an end to injustice, tyranny and exploitation. More than an end, they seek a beginning." -
John F. Kennedy
Competing interests:
Aboubakar YARI and Venus YARI have no affiliations with other commercial organizations that may have interests related to the content of this article.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported with funds from Biotech tropicana Corporation References :
[1] Developed Countries. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developed_country . Accessed November 12, 2009.
[2] Emerging Countries. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerging_markets Accessed November 12, 2009.
[3] Third World Countries. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World Accessed November 12, 2009.
[4] First, Second, and Third World. Nations Online. Available at http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/third_world_countries.htm Accessed November 15, 2009.
[5] Developing Countries. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_country Accessed November 12, 2009.
[6] Least Developed Countries. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_Developed_Country Accessed November 12, 2009.
[7] Least Developed Countries, About. United Nations OHRLLS. Available at http://www.unohrlls.org/en/ldc/25/ , Accessed November 18, 2009.
[8] Least Developed Countries, Country Profile. United Nations OHRLLS. http://www.unohrlls.org/en/ldc/related/62/ Accessed November 18, 2009.
[9] Biotech tropicana, Inc; Aboubakar YARI & Venus YARI. Available at http://bitechtropicana.ucoz.com/ . Accessed November 17, 2009.
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