Development strategies in LEDC's

Résumé du document

Development was traditionally seen as the "process by which countries and societies advance and become richer", synonymous with economic growth. However, the definition which is accepted today, a "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 fulfil their potential," presents development as a more complex and wide-ranging process involving an improvement of the economic situation but also of the social, political, environmental and technological fields.

Consequently, development strategies in less economically developed countries must take into account these different areas in order to be successful. In Angola for instance, the natural resources of oil and diamonds in the country mean that they are economically self-dependent, but in other field they are very much at the bottom of world rankings: their life expectancy is of 46 years, lower than Nigeria's (document F), a third of Angolan adults are illiterate and civil and political liberties are limited, which means that the country is considered as a LEDC. Angola's policies towards development have had contrasted effects.

In the economic field, for instance, developing relations with China is a very good move on one hand for the Angolan economy, but it is in no way a panacea as it presents many flaws. China indeed guarantees a huge market for Angolan petrol, as well as lines of credit to develop their economy.

Extraits

[...] The Chinese workers are furthermore isolated from locals, leading to tension and rumours (it was said that the foreign workers were Chinese criminals executing their sentence away from home). As a result, Angola is ridden by deep inequalities, as businessmen benefit from the infrastructure and increasingly available facilities whilst many suffer from unemployment and poverty. This is why it is hard to agree with document which asserts that “increased investment in Africa can only be a good thing”: the negative aspects cannot be overlooked. [...]

[...] In the same way, the life expectancy is four years higher in Sudan than in Mali, which means that it is ranked much higher than Mali in world development rankings. It is therefore essential for developing countries to concentrate their resources on improving life conditions in the country. In Angola, the government has been taking measures to improve conditions after years of civil war, which have been more or less efficient at a national level. In the field of healthcare, for instance, building hospitals is a start but it is not sufficient to guarantee a longer life expectancy or the diminution of child mortality. [...]

[...] but also sell them manufactured goods and services. The French company France Telecom, for example, devotes a whole subsidiary to the development of a mobile phone network linked to a financial system in African countries. As many rural peasants have neither the possibility nor the desire to open a bank account, remittances from family members working in cities or abroad sometimes have to be sent physically by post, with the risks of loss or theft that it implies. Mobile phones acting as banks can thus be useful to transfer even small amounts of money between people. [...]

[...] Nonetheless, it would enable the teachers and doctors thus formed to train others, improving the general level of education of the country. This is important, because education impacts on much more than just healthcare in a developing country. An increase of the literacy rate is linked to a diminution of fertility rates, and therefore of population growth. Indeed, girls who are educated learn about contraception, and they are also more willing to use it: working women find having a big family difficult to manage so that education encourages them to restrict the number of children they have. [...]

[...] Reducing taxes for implanted TNCs, either throughout the country or only in Special Economic Zones specifically designed to that effect, is a good way to appeal to foreign firms. Conditions for such benefits can be imagined, such as the imperative of forming and employing local employees, thereby decreasing unemployment and transmitting new skills to the local labour forces. “Shaping their business climates” is also important for LEDCs, as poor infrastructure, red tape and uncomfortable cities repel foreign investment. Document J emphasizes the increasing importance of trade with the rest of the world, especially with developed countries. These import massive amounts of African natural resources minerals, coffee, fruit, etc. [...]