Views /Opinion

Developing countries are not progressing... Why?

Most of the developing countries did not turn into developed countries, why? This is a valid and good question. Certainly, it must have boggled many minds.

Some economists even made it a title for their books, because God did not decree that certain countries should be developing and others should be developed. However, this disparity pertains to the nature of human beings and their actions.

The answer to this question requires providing an accurate description of the developed countries, pinpointing the means that they used to achieve advancement, which the developing countries failed to do, and thus lagged behind. It should be noted here that experts themselves have differed in their views on some of these means. Some are of the view that developed countries have abundant financial resources. But this opinion is refuted by others, citing the fact that among the developing countries are those that have more wealth than the developed countries. It is only that they have the problem of mismanagement and they are lacking scientific and sound administrative systems. For this reason, they remain on the list of developing countries. Some experts, however, pointed to the role of geographical location as the main reason for the development of countries. Among them, David Landes1998, an economic historian from Harvard University who mentioned this in his book “The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why are some so rich, and others so poor?”

This opinion is also rejected, given the case of Singapore which owns only one port and does not have a land border with any country. Its size may only be equivalent to the size of a village in one of the developing countries. Yet it advanced significantly and was classified as the fourth most important financial center in the world. It was ranked first in Asia and eleventh in the world in the quality of life index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit in the “Economist” magazine. It also has the ninth highest foreign exchange reserve in the world.

Even those who attributed the reason for achieving development to democratic systems and the enjoyment of freedom have been confronted by those who hate democracy and assert that it provides a legitimate cover for the poor to rob the rich of their wealth. “The God Who Failed” contained shocking and disastrous views that foreshadowed the demise of democracies.

Since this is the case, the correct answer to the question, according to what was presented by the history of the economy, along with THE UNITED NATIONS STATISTICAL COMMISSION, in the evaluation of the countries classification between developed, developing and poor is the presence of political will and readiness of society to move to the ranks of developed countries. Development must be accompanied by a strong assertion, determination and will to achieve the highest indicators of progress, and it can only be achieved by merging all sectors from the bottom up, and from all individuals, companies and institutions that represent all spectrums of society without exception.

Developing countries did not turn into developed countries because they did not take serious steps for progress, and because they did not establish an advanced economy based on technical industrialization and diversity in resources. They also refrain from committing to free market economies, or the economies that is based on the law of supply and demand. In other words, prices are determined through the relationship between availability of commodities (supply) and consumers’ desire to obtain those commodities (demand). In developing countries, decisions are made to raise the prices of a commodity due to a global price increase, but when the global price of the same commodity decreases, this is ignored, and thus the people remain burdened with high prices and are deprived of decent life. 

Developing countries also do not pay attention to raising the Human Development Index which measures the well-being of their citizens in terms of the standard of living, education, literacy rates and life expectancy. Globally, developed countries must have a Human Development Index rating of at least 0.8.

Developing countries are also reluctant when it comes to introducing modern technology to their educational institutions and modest industries, under the pretext of the lack of sufficient capital. Despite its importance, the introduction of modern technology does not only mean acquiring and using it. The manufacturing stage is more important. 

With advanced technology comes the development of all sectors; infrastructure, transportation and communication. Security facilities and health facilities such as hospitals and medical staff are also included in the development process. These are all elements of progress.

In conclusion, the answer is that developing countries did not do what it takes to raise their exports capacity above the level of imports, nor did they seek to reduce the unemployment rate and raise the human development index. It is only by so doing, instead of blaming others, that developing countries will turn into developed countries.

Dr. Buthaina Al Ansari is a Qatari academic and author. She held many senior  positions in government and private sectors and higher education institutions including Qatar University.