The Development Gap.

Luca Conti 9N
8/6/15

What is development, how does it vary around the world and which two countries are we looking at today? Firstly, development is when a country begins to grow in economic value; a developed county must also have high standard of living and very good healthcare. Normally more developed countries export higher value goods that have usually been processed therefore adding value. In this issue we will be looking at two very different countries, namely, Italy and Malawi. Lets look at the stats’.

Italia…. * GDP= 2.194 trillion USD * Infant mortality per 15000= 3 * Pop. Growth rate= 0.5% * Pop. Per doctor= 4.1 * Any period of colonisation= it has never been colonised * Current Pop. = 59.33 million * GDP per capita= 35,925 USD * Literacy rate (average)= 99% * Average life expectancy= Men= 82 Women= 85 * % of Pop. Unemployed= 12.4%
HDI (human development index) = very high standard of living.

Malawi… * GDP= 3.705 billion USD * Infant mortality= 38 of 1000 * Pop. Growth rate= 2.8% * Pop. Per doctor= 65,000 approx. * Period of colonisation= 1891 - under British rule * Current Pop. = 16,407 million * GDP per capita= 857 USD * Literacy rate (average)= 54.6% * Average life expectancy= Men= 58 Women= 61 * % of Pop. Unemployed= 42.32% * HDI= very low standard of living.

More information about Malawi.

With its 17,377,468 people, Malawi is the 63rd largest country in the world by population. It is the 100th largest country in the world by area with 118,484 square kilometers.

Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994. President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor and subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2005. MUTHARIKA was reelected to a second term in May 2009. He oversaw some economic improvement in his first term, but was accused of economic mismanagement and poor governance in his second term. He died abruptly in April 2012 and was succeeded by his vice president, Joyce BANDA, who had earlier started her own party. The People's Party (PP). Population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi. Malawi is still a developing nation so it mainly exports primary goods like coffee, tea and fruits.

Size Comparison of the two countries.

More info about Italy

The country has a long history, as Rome its capital city today was founded in 753BC. After the Roman Empire broke down in 395AD, there were many separate kingdoms and City States. However, Italy became one nation only in 1861 and since then includes the islands of Sicily and Sardegna. It was a kingdom until 1946 after World War II, when Italy sided with the German Nazis. Italy is a founding member of the European Union (EU) and NATO.

So lets check out the level of development of each of these countries.

Industries.

Firstly Italy has a very large, strong and dependable tourist industry. Although Malawi does get tourists to the lake and the national parks, its nowhere near the scale of tourism in Italy. Most of Italy’s tourists come for the historical monuments. Secondly Italy mainly exports goods that have been manufactured and are products of secondary industries. Common exports are: machinery and clothing products. On the other hand, Malawi has very few (if any at all) secondary industries leaving it to export mainly coffee, tea and tobacco. To make the country more affluent the government would have to process the primary products. If the tobacco was processed (turned into cigarettes) then the income made from the cigarettes would be substantially higher, leaving more money to spend on developing the nation.

Access to basic needs.

The access to basic needs (e.g. clean water, food, shelter) is an effective way of measuring development. Countries with more easy access to basic needs will generally be more developed. Italy has very easy access to many basic needs although in the south of Italy water can sometimes be scarce in the summer months. Italy never really experiences food, water, or fuel shortages, unlike in Malawi where fuel shortages, power cuts, food shortages and no water is very common and sometimes a day-to-day occurrence.

Another way to measure development is to look at discrimination, lets be real here, most countries that discriminate are not so developed. In Italy it’s very difficult to measure this because the country cannot be viewed as a whole. In the north of the country men and women are all politically and socially equal and they all can choose to do whatever job they want do, regardless of gender. On the other hand in the south of the country, women generally are seen as housewives and are not expected to follow a career of any sort. They will nearly always be the only members of the community that will do all the housework, shopping, cooking, and baby sitting.

In Malawi the gender inequality issue is mainly due to increasing HIV/AIDS infections, increasing poverty and social instability. Malawian views towards females are very similar to southern Italian views, women are politically equal, as in that they are allowed to vote, and allowed to take up any job. Socially though women are not high in the social hierarchy because they are viewed as housewives, babysitters, farmers and normally will never take up jobs of social or political importance.

Trade.
Italian trade has recently fallen but it is now picking itself up. The country mainly exports clothes and heavy machinery (e.g. cars). It also exports fruits from the south (like oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits). Italy’s main trade partners are: Germany, China, France and Russia. There isn’t really any unfairness with the Italian trade both import and export.

Malawi on the other hand only exports goods sourced from primary industries like fruits vegetables and some meat products. Most of Malawi’s imports come from its neighbouring countries, namely South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. This is probably because they are relatively close to Malawi itself, and they will export most goods at lower prices.

Aid.
Italy does not currently receive aid in any form, from any countries. Italy does although give aid to many African countries like Ethiopia Tunisia and Malawi. So Malawi actually receives monetary aid from Italy!

Malawi is in no position to give aid to any countries but rather to receive aid. Its main donors are the United Kingdom, the USA, France and Italy. In the past, under president Bingu Wa Mutharicka many aid donors stopped the flow of aid to Malawi due to political issues and due to the fact that the president himself did not channel the money to where it was supposed to go. In other words he pocketed the money himself. After his death donors then resumed the flow of aid money.

Debt
After the Italian economy fell (together with the Greek economy) the country was in serious debt to other countries. All these debts have since been paid and the currently the country is in not debt.
Because Malawi is receiving aid from multiple sources, it is inevitable that it is in some debt with other countries.

Conclusion.
In conclusion we can see that Italy is by far the more developed of the two countries. We can say this is due to better governance, better trade and economics, better resource management and to better international status. But does that mean Malawi cant develop? In the future we will Hopefully see Malawi going through strong changes for the better. A newer, brighter and more developed Malawi.

Sources: * Wikipedia * Google * UN * CIA * World bank