Global Development and Economic Inequality Analysis

Media Influence and Information Control

Television: the medium of information and home entertainment. The control of the audience: information and entertainment generate wealth and have much influence on public opinion. Here, other companies ensure ethics prevail and professionalism is maintained.

Key Indicators of National Development

To specify the level of a country's development, two main indicators are used:

• Calories: It is estimated that worldwide there are approximately 850 million people who are fed in an inadequate way.
• Human Poverty Line: Serves to determine how many people live in a country with less money than what is considered the bare minimum.

Economic Metrics: GDP and Purchasing Power

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): the total value of all goods and services produced by the active population of a country, within its territory for a period of time. Real GDP per capita: the sum of a country's produced wealth for a year, divided among its inhabitants. It serves to meet the purchasing power of the population.

Life Expectancy and Education

Life expectancy: 67 years of age in 2006, but there are serious inequalities because in rich countries the average is around 78 years, while in poor countries it is 53 (sub-Saharan Africa is at 46). Education: 82% of adults in the world can read and write. 115 million children are not in school, 62 million of whom are women.

Hunger and Its Causes

More than 850 million people go hungry in the world, particularly in Africa. This is caused by:

• Natural causes: floods, frost, and pests.
• Human causes: wars, economic, and political decisions.

Features of Underdeveloped Countries

The main features of the existence of underdeveloped countries include demographic imbalances, decolonization, and globalization.

Demographic Imbalance

The birth rate tends to decrease everywhere, but in poor countries, it remains high, leading to a very large young population. A lack of basic needs means poverty increases, and missing work leads to emigration.

Decolonization

When these colonies gained independence, they had scarce material resources and the population was little prepared. These new countries have continued under the economic dominance of former metropolises. This has brought a series of endless wars throughout the century.

Globalization and Foreign Debt

Economic globalization is based on free competition in private enterprise. The unequal trade that indebts poor countries is because they need to grow to build infrastructure and services. They call for credits in Euros (€) in exchange for interest while not paying back the entire debt. To pay their debts, governments need money, which they obtain by collecting taxes.

Future Measures to Overcome Poverty

There are some politicians who propose measures to overcome poverty:

• Cancel the external debt of the poorest states.
• Expend 0.7% of Gross National Income from wealthy countries to help them develop.
• Establish fair trade, so the producers of the poorest countries receive a proper price for their products and thereby protect their holdings.