This is part 4 of an exploration into why some countries are poorer than others.
Discrimination
Sometimes there are social or cultural factors that hold back poor countries. Discrimination is one of these. If there are certain people groups that are discriminated against, the country’s overall productivity can suffer. This may be a tribe, a caste, a racial category or minority language group. I have already mentioned Cameroon, which has both French speaking and English speaking regions. All the infrastructure happens in the French speaking part. French speakers in Canada complain of the opposite. Welsh speakers in Britain, or Catalans in Spain, have historically faced similar problems.
Racial discrimination may be an issue, excluding certain groups from economic activity, either deliberately or not. Racial minorities regularly have poorer exam results and economic prospects than the majority. More serious forms of exclusion would be apartheid South Africa, or the Asian communities driven out of Uganda under Idi Amin, which was disastrous for Uganda’s economy. This racial discrimination is international too. The old ‘whites in charge’ power structures of colonialism might be formally gone and old colonies now independent – but they cast a long shadow. Global power is still very much tilted towards the northern hemisphere.
Another division may be the role of women. Jeffrey Sachs talks about this in The End of Poverty: ‘Cultural or religious norms may block the role of women… leaving half the population without economic or political rights and without education, thereby undermining half of the population in its contribution to overall development.’ If you don’t believe that women should work, you have effectively halved the earning potential of your country.
Population
Closely linked to the role of women is the population issue. If women see staying at home and bringing up children as their primary role, they will often have more children than those who work. This is not necessarily a problem, but fewer children can bring benefits for development. Jeffrey Sachs again: ‘With fewer children, a poor household can invest more in the health and education of each child, thereby equipping the next generation with the health, nutrition, and education that can lift living standards in future years.’
In the last century, the world’s population grew dramatically. What is interesting is that the countries where this has happened are often those where women do not play a role in business or society. When women are educated and given a choice, some will stay at home and look after children, and others will pursue careers or start small businesses.
This is an important factor, as some countries have seen their population double or triple without their economies keeping pace. That leaves more mouths to feed, and just not enough to go around. The answers lie in access to family planning, and in the empowering of women and girls so that everyone can make a good decision for themselves and their families.
Culture
I’ve already mentioned the role of women, but culture can have hidden effects in business, trade and development. China may be a major power now, but it was the world’s most developed country in the middle ages. It stagnated, or even went backwards, for centuries. Part of this was cultural, a pride and sense of self-sufficiency that led to a closing of China’s borders. ‘China seems to have long been stationary’, Adam Smith wrote in 1776, in his Wealth of Nations. ‘A country which neglects or despises foreign commerce… cannot transact the same quantity of business which it might do with different laws and institutions.’ That’s changed, but nationalism, suspicion, or radical philosophy still has some countries closed down to outside involvement – communism in North Korea, or extremist Islam in Taliban Afghanistan, locking countries out of development.
This the far end of the spectrum, but culture works in subtler ways too. Some cultures believe in a greater good, in unity, in the rule of law. They are optimistic, hopeful, ambitious and ready to pull together. Others can be paranoid, fragmented, uncertain of their place in the modern world, angry, resistant to change. Rich countries can be overconfident and brash. Poor countries can see themselves as victims and become despondent. In his The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, economic historian David Landes says ‘If we learn anything from the history of economic development it is that culture makes all the difference.’
The limits of cultural interpretations
At the same time, cultural influences on development are notoriously hard to call from the outside. Hinduism was often cited as one of the reasons why India would never develop. Because everyone accepts their place in the world, it was assumed that Hindus would lack the ambition required to innovate and do business on an international stage. The recent growth in India’s economy proves that wrong quite spectacularly. Korean economist Ha-Joon Chang quotes a 1911 travel book that describes Koreans as “sullen, lazy and religionless savages”, something that hardly holds true today. So did Korean culture change, or was the writer simply being superior?
Making assumptions about other cultures has at times been a tool of colonialism and oppression. In the days of empire, the British believed they were superior to other cultures and that it was in everybody’s interests for them to be in charge. In fact, it was their duty to take charge and ‘civilise’ cultures that were seen as ‘savage’ or primitive. All kinds of racism and abuse was legitimised this way.
We understand each other better than ever in our globalized world, but our language and traditions are still full of little prejudices that imply we are better than others, and that our neighbours are lazy and dirty and uncouth. I love the fact that not turning up for work is called ‘taking French leave’ in England, and ‘filez a l’Anglaise’ (or ‘doing an English’) in France. A Malagasy friend once joked that in Madagascar, every tribe believes that every other tribe eats cats. In short, culture no doubt plays a role in development, but we have to watch our own biases as we seek to understand why some countries succeed and others fail.
The Earthbound Report 
I think that in many parts of the world religious beliefs can lead to poverty. This would come under ‘culture’ I guess. Religious viewpoints that are essentially fatalistic would have an empoverishing effect. Certain Eastern religions would see poverty and human suffering as a consequence of wrong deeds committed in a previous existence. According to such an ideology, to act to alleviate poverty in those situations would result in even greater misery in a future life.
A striking example of the empoverishing effects of religions convictions can be seen amongst the Tandroy of Southern Madagascar. Traditionally a man will spend his days building as large a herd of cattle as he can, to be slaughtered and sent with him to the grave upon his death. His surviving relatives will spend years constructing a huge ornately decorated stone tomb to house his remains, while they themselves live in ramshackle wooden huts. The landscape of the Antandroy territory is dotted with these huge edifices. giving eloquent testimony to the tribe’s conviction that you are dead much longer than you are alive. Enormous quantities of aid and investment have been poured into this area of Madagascar, but nothing ever seems to change. The wealth poured in seems to just trickle away into the sand, or maybe, get buried in the tombs.
Yes, I think religious factors probably are important in development. It’s one of those areas that isn’t very PC to theorise about and so it might not get the attention it needs. It’s always a tragedy when a religion serves the rich and ignores the poor. The God I know has his priorities the other way up.
I quite agree with the fact that descrimination is a major bedrock to underdevelopment of many communities. The teaching of the Bible on “One body many parts” which we conceptualise today as Globalization make this very clear. I wish many developing countries can come to the understanding of this fact and cease from ethnic, religious and other forms of strife which constitutes a serious clog in the wheel of progress.
I think this is a very recourceful website. The information is prompt, and the site states facts. I do think that the discrimination of the poor has a major affect on how much the country will be productive. It is also true that the role of women overall is affecting the country greatly. Now, I know that some women may have jobs, but of course not many. It is a privilege that women should be able to have jobs.
References
Duncan, B. N; West, J. J; Yoshida, Y; Fiore, A. M; Ziemke, J. R (2008). “The influence of European pollution on ozone in the Near East and northern Africa”. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 8 (8): 2267–83. doi:10.5194/acp-8-2267-2008.
Hillstrom & Hillstrom The Worlds environments. a continental overview of environmental issues 2003 pg. 85-86
“IFA : International Fertilizer Industry Association – Soil Degradation in Africa IFA”. fertilizer.org. IFA. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
“Land and Environmental Degradation and Desertification in Africa”. Land and Environmental Degradation and Desertification in Africa. FAO. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
“IFA : International Fertilizer Industry Association – Soil Degradation in Africa / SUSTAINABILITY / HomePage / IFA”. fertilizer.org. IFA. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
“Soil Degradation”. Goodplanet.info. Retrieved 15 May 2013
i am kazibwe frank requesting for assistance on the factors that led to the development of china.
Hi kazibwe frank, it all started with sugma
Hello Jeremy. I was poking about your site and came across this essay that holds particular interest for me.
I am not an academic but have lived in different countries and am still living now in the Middle East and what I can offer is empirical analysis on society and the economy.
I too have written a short and necessarily lacking essay on social development. My input on the issue would be termed not PC but it is in many regards the synthesis of opinions held by many specialists that operate in developing countries in various capacities including anthropology. Essentially, your term “discrimination” does play a very large role in social development. The discrimination I observe though, is borne out of the social values, social customs and social traditions of a people. It is ingrained in the gestures of daily life; it is the very fabric of the intellectual architecture of a people. But one of the greatest obstacles to social development that I have witnessed over the years, is the inability of members of developing societies to grasp that quintessential precondition to development that is the formulation of abstract concepts and the conceptualization of the dynamic necessary to achieve that concept.
You also mention population explosion upon which I touch too. In sixty years of aid and development, the greatest success has been achieved by the various vaccination campaigns and by all the medical assistance that brought about a decline in infant mortality. This of course is a noble result. But the consequences have been devastating as is attested particularly in Africa by recurrent famines. One of the reasons that health aid has more success than all other development aid is that vaccines, for example, do not require any input or maintenance by the receiver other than to avoid life threatening situations like falling off a cliff or some such. But then, as you pointed out, this increase in population has not been matched by an increase in agricultural or commercial productivity rendering these people ever more dependent on outside aid.
All this to say that yes, “discrimination” though under different guises is absolutely an obstacle to what is deemed to be “development”.
All Jeremy’s are nuggets
nice article jeremy
based
POPULATION CONTROL IS THE PART OF SELFISH.
Who are humans? what are their functions?
I think humans are just like other living beings.Among animals never we can’t see the un natural birth control process.Here nature control living circle(like…lion eats rabit).Man is not exception in this process!In olden times man had a better life expettency…But now it decreasing day by day! so , for what we accepting the way of family control? Human resources is the best resources.we should keep it.China took strict family control(one chiled policy),but now they encouraging child bearing & child rearing.
By,
vc shukoor,
Department of Sociology,
Bharathidasan University,
Trichy-24
shukoor_vc@yahoo.com
HI.MY COMENT IS TO APLICIATE YOUR SERVICE.
CONGTRATION FOR YOUR GENERALICITY ANDEXPLATIONS OVER DEFFERENT ISSUES
MAY I GET A CHANCE TO JOIN WITH YOU IN THIS SERVICES?
I’m a student in secondary school and when i type in things, that i want simply I come to a mind boggling number of stupid websites, that are nonsense. I love this page though. Its detailed, but short and an insightful(<<<is that a word) piece. Good Luck to mee on my Geo. paper!
Thanks for your support,
I would have liked you to solve my problem of this question.
”How does culture influence development in developing countries?’
that was so plis that website is very interesting ,it has been talking about the development which we have been focus on population that has been disaster in Africa mostly in developing nation and cause poverty without good standard of living
it help me a lot just before mx exam started
With due respect, am very full of joy to write and thank the writer of this short essay because this topic really helps me to pass my exam with A grade. thanks to all those who contributed in writing this topic.
you’re welcome. glad i could be of service
Hi. Iam also doing an exam, can any one shine some light on this question?
what steps can you take to minimize barriers which might be created between your self and your client who is taking a qualification?
LMB
please can you help with this question. An informed development is dependant of culture. discuss this assertion.
That’s what the post above is about! I’m not sure I’ve got much more to add to it here in the comments.
cultural and social factors play a serious role in clogging the wheels of progress due to the following reasons
1.obsolete beliefs such as ,having many kids as security impact negatively on the economic development of a country as it increases dependency ratio which will call for a decrease in investments
2.racial segregation,may impact negatively to a country’s ec.esp when the segregated group is actively involved in economic activitie
3.gender insensitivity;scrapes off the role the segregated party plays in production .
I’m happy at the contributions. can somebody help mewith this question. community development is affect by community attitude towars it. discusss. i will appreciate because i’m between a rock and a hard place with the lecturer.
Hi guyz,can somebody pliz help me solve this,WHY DID THE MODERN ECONOMIC GROWTH EXPERIENCE OF THE MORE DEVELOPED NATIONS NOT SPREAD MORE RAPIDLY TO THE LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES(LDCs)
probably, low technological development in developing countries might be among of the problems that hampering the adoption of the modern economic development experienced in developed world.
religious also affect economic growth via the opportunity cost of time forgonne at church’s or mosque.
For a couple of hours a week, I don’t think that’s a big drag on the economy, but perhaps.
Jeremy, i agree with you and solomon that religion in africa has a great role to play. People are spending more productive time atleast five times a week in lunch hour ans overnight prayers. Taking all their hard earned resources to the churches in tithe, thanksgiving etc in honor of their christian values and beliefs. Believing that some kinds of businesses dont hold value to chiristian or muslim faith which limits entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity e.g. owning a bar and restaurant in a city like kampala where the social aspects of life would tend more towards this as people love to hang out alot till late. I believe that some of the business enterprises that are highly profitable are most not acceptable or would be socially unacceptable in islam or christian faith.
i find this site very useful and its contributors highly intelligent and would be very grateful to have your views for a discussion on the role of culture in the development of a morden state. thanks guys …….
because it is illegal for LEDCs to put higher tariff on imported good so that to protect our industries as George bush did in 2002 to protect steel industries in us LET US PUT HIGHER TARIFF IN EXPORTING OF RAW MATERIAL SUCH AS MINERALS TO THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ERNEST JOSEPHAT
TUMAINI UNIVERSITY OF MAKUMIRA
Yes, unfair trade rules have a big role in slowing development. I haven’t included them in this article as it doesn’t come under cultural factors, but it’s certainly very important.
Thanks to all the participants. You have really help me. Can we also discuss about the strategies for addressing those cultural factors that affect development
but sir how do think that most of DEVELOPED COUNTRIES almost provide AIDs in churches and other social area inside of other economic area that can make us to develop
I would like to add one thing;
another issue on development is Marginalization within the community leads to poor participation in development as marginalized groups like women, people with disabilities, albino and the like are less concerned in development although these groups can serve many things in bringing about remarkable development.
1. is development a call for social change
2. how can culture enhance or promote development
3. development is relative in nature
HOW CULTURE PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT
improve the ethics and academic .
serves as a control focus.
helps in building national unity.
nurture the development of the mind.
promote steady economic growth.
Ha bhai sary 6?
I quit appreciate ur affort on educating the public on culture norms of different sociaty but my contribution is that culture infulence society should be look into properly.
help, do our assignment
thank you for this info. It helps for my essay.
I HAVE A QUESTION WHAT LEADS TO DEVELOPMENT OR CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT
Im Queendoline a nigerian student. Cross river State to be precise. I appreciate your brief work but what are the factors determining educational development ?
What are d factors affecting community development
hello i am intrested with your site,but try to show us futher explanation to how religion may affect development.
This web site is educative and interesting
many rich countries also helps where there need are achieved, this brings unbalanced of development within poor coutries that are affected, with any challenge faced, that leads to massive poverty
Wow! At last I got a weblog from where I be able to in fact
get valuable data concerning my study and knowledge.
A brilliant site! Couldn’t agree more with what you’ve said, and you said it really well!
I’ve been thinking of these points for years but could never find someone who could spell out the ins and outs so starkly with clarity.
Can’t wait to read more.
Thank you
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Incredible points. Great here questions. Sustain the amazing effort.
This post here is invaluable. How might I get more information?
Please tel me factors thath affect development like population growth,education and training
Right here is the perfect site for anyone who would like to understand this topic.
You understand a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I
personally will need to…HaHa). You definitely put
a new spin on a subject that has been written about for years.
Wonderful stuff, just wonderful!
The website is somewhat helpful
thank you so much for all the insights and educative teaching. i agree that cultural bias and differences precepitate undevelopment. America would be too far if racism and color differences were not the order of the day. We see black Americans now leading in every sphere of life – art, science, literature, sports and ofcourse leadership.
Hi, I am Frida. I have problem with my homework. Maybe anybody could help me? Is there an implication of location to the kind of development and culture of a country? Please answer my question (explain). Thanks very much
culture and social some time leads to discrimination as some culture/people think that all people should leave by their culture, however others enforce it to others exam religion, cultural believes. we need to make it free entry and exist to allow development.
thanks for helping me pass my exams
What’s up, just wanted to tell you, I enjoyed this blog post.
It was helpful. Keep on posting!
Musiime Francis from Hoima-Uganda
I really agree with the text. Over the years Bunyoro Region has remained undeveloped because of the factors that have persistently discriminated the people of the region of denied them opportunities to develop. These I can categorized at historic since the colonial times, socio-cultural, and political factors. Another category which I relate to modern forces that fuels evasion and succession tendencies include technological advancement which the people have not been assisted to adopt to, and local politics that have tended to promote division with an intent to favour some people at the expense of others.
Interesting example, thank you.
this has been of great help. thanx man
wow this is nice infant these are the answers have been looking for in my course work thanks a lot.
culture in its anti-development aspects is declining father the development of un developed countries like Uganda where few women work , women are not allowed to eat certain foods and others
Is what I need it!!waaoh…cultural is ant-development of any society Although there are some foods which are not allowed to eat women(pregnant mother)
what are the cultural determinants of human developments in school learning
I got a good thing from here,thanks Mr Jeremy Williams.
I Am in the middle of doing my research thanks for this it has been helpful a lot.
It has helped me to answer the question i was asked by my Lecturer..Thanx alot..
whatabout social and cultural factors affecting population?
Its due to various cultures and norms that many people tend to cram that hinders DEVELOPMENT!
this is because the social-cultural factors of of any place is reflected in its system of education…. this system reveals cultural concepts and patterns
Amazing issues here. I’m very glad to see your
post. Thanks a loot and I am having a look forward to contact you.
Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
Educative piece.. I really learnt a lot and it also helped in my assignment.. Can u pls help with this question?eexamine the contribution of culture in both societal transformation and economic development and explain why critics often blame the African cultural orientation for the continents economic challenge
i appreciate your work, it has helped me with my question. keep it up
You are not informed about Catalans. Catalonia has historically received better treatment from the Spanish central government than any other region, except the Basquese
Both received tariff protection so thers manufactured goods had no foreign competition for decades.
If you go back and read it again, I say Catalans faced these issues ‘historically’. Like when the language was suppressed under Franco or banned altogether in the 1700s.
Reblogged this on LEARNERS' WORLD and commented:
Some factors influencing development are:
Population
Closely linked to this is the population issue. If
women see staying at home and bringing up
children as their chief role, they will have more
children than those who work. There is nothing
wrong with having lots of children, as long as you
can provide for them. Jeffrey Sachs again: ‘With
fewer children, a poor household can invest more
in the health and education of each child,
thereby equipping the next generation with the
health, nutrition, and education that can lift living
standards in future years.’
As Paul has talked about here before, world
population has exploded. What is interesting is
that the countries where this has happened are
often those where women do not play a role in
business or society. When women are educated
and given a choice, some will stay at home and
look after children, and others will pursue careers
or start small businesses.
This is an important factor, as some countries
have seen their population double or triple
without their economies keeping pace. That
leaves more mouths to feed, and just not enough
to go around.
Culture
I’ve already mentioned the role of women, but
culture can have hidden effects in business,
trade and development. China may be a major
power now, but it was the world’s most
developed country in the middle ages, and
stagnated, or even went backwards, for
centuries. Part of this was cultural, a pride and
sense of self-sufficiency that led to a closing of
China’s borders. ‘China seems to have long been
stationary’, Adam Smith wrote in 1776, in his
Wealth of Nations. ‘A country which neglects or
despises foreign commerce… cannot transact the
same quantity of business which it might do with
different laws and institutions.’ That’s changed,
but nationalism, suspicion, or radical philosophy
still has some countries closed down to outside
involvement – communism in North Korea, or
extremist Islam in Taliban Afghanistan, locking
countries out of development.
This the far end of the spectrum, but culture
works in subtler ways too. Some cultures believe
in a greater good, in unity, in the rule of law.
They are optimistic, hopeful, ambitious and ready
to pull together. Others can be paranoid,
fragmented, uncertain of their place in the
modern world, angry, resistant to change. Rich
countries can be overconfident and brash. Poor
countries can see themselves as victims and
become despondent. In his The Wealth and
Poverty of Nations , economic historian David
Landes says ‘If we learn anything from the
history of economic development it is that
culture makes all the difference.’
The limits of cultural interpretations
At the same time, cultural influences on
development are notoriously hard to call from the
outside. Hinduism was often cited as one of the
reasons why India would never develop. Because
everyone accepts their place in the world, it was
assumed that Hindus would lack the ambition
required to innovate and do business on an
international stage. The recent growth in India’s
economy proves that wrong quite spectacularly.
Korean economist Ha-Joon Chang quotes a 1911
travel book that describes Koreans as “sullen,
lazy and religionless savages”, something that
hardly holds true today. So did Korean culture
change, or was the writer simply being superior?
We understand each other better than ever in our
globalized world, but our language and traditions
are still full of little prejudices that imply we are
better than others, and that our neighbours are
lazy and dirty and uncouth. I love the fact that
not turning up for work is called ‘taking French
leave’ in England, and ‘filez a l’Anglaise’ (or
‘doing an English’) in France. A Malagasy friend
once joked that in Madagascar, every tribe
believes that every other tribe eats cats. In
short, culture no doubt plays a role in
development, but we have to watch our own
biases as we seek to understand why some
countries succeed and others fail.
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Good read. Thanks for this
This was very well explained, good work. I have found it helpful in understanding my assignment topic.
Actually your work is useful.
The work is satisfying
the work is quite well so helpful to the whole field of study
IS NIGERIA UNDER DEVELOP? IF YES WHY? IF NO WHY?
Thanks to all the participants. You have really helped me. Can we also discuss about the strategies for addressing those cultural factors that affect development