The struggle of War through the eyes of a Child

Kaliyah. A. Martin

Business Department, Rockhurst University

EC 3400 LCA Developing World: Economics, Politics, and Culture

Dr Laura Fitzpatrick

November 13th 2021

 “When the rich rage war, it is the poor who die” (Sarte, n.d) It does not matter if someone
plays a part in the war or not, it affects everyone without sympathy. Zlata’s Diary: A child’s Life
in Wartime Sarajevo, was written by Zlata Filipovic during the tribulation of war in Bosnia
between 1991- 1993. As a young girl, she kept a diary where she documented her experiences of
everyday life. Something that was supposed to be a lighthearted memento of the past, became a
story of war and suffering. Zlata’s Diary offers a firsthand perspective of the frightful events that
occurred through the eyes of a child. She was a normal preteen before the events of the war, who
enjoyed spending time with her friends, playing the piano, and eating delicious food. She never
thought that those great turns of events would influence her life to which she was already
accustomed. She even mentions “After Slovenia and Croatia, are the winds of war now blowing
toward Bosnia- Herzegovina? No, that’s impossible.” (Filipovic, 1993, p.6) However, by March
1992 the war had arrived in Sarajevo with three thousand Serbian Nationalists attacking.
(Filipovic, 1993, p.25) This was just the beginning, and Zlata’s life was about to be filled with
constant fear, gunfire, and shelling coming from the hills and destroying her city. In this essay,
we will analyze the development of war through the heterodox and orthodox approach in the
context of Zlata’s Diary, as well as identify solutions that would be used through these
approaches with the help of Todaro.

Firstly, the Orthodox Theory falls under a mainstream approach to economics. According
to Investopedia “Mainstream economics follows the rational choice theory, which assumes that
individuals make decisions that will maximize their own utility and uses statistics and
mathematical models to demonstrate theories and evaluate various economic developments.”
(Halton, 2021) Moreover, it assumes that society will move in a linear path since it is innate
human nature to behave in a certain way. The Orthodox Approach believes that since humans are
rational, the best way to act is through the market as its greatest driving power. According to
Economic Development “In strictly economic terms, development has traditionally meant
achieving sustained rates of growth of income per capita to enable a nation to expand its output
at a rate faster than the growth rate of its population. Levels and rates of growth of “real” per
capita gross national income (GNI) are then used to measure the overall economic well-being of
a population.” (Todaro & Smith, 2011, p. 14) In other words, if the Gross National Income is
satisfactory, then the economy is on the right track to becoming a developed nation. In Zlata’s
Diary, the Orthodox Approach would say that war has interrupted the linear development of
Sarajevo. Human capital is considered one of the most valuable resources since it is the glue that
holds all other resources together. Because of the war, Sarajevo, reduced the amount of human
capital by the killing of innocent people, injuring individuals where some will become
handicapped, and lastly incentivized the emigration of civilians because of constant fear. For
example, Zlata’s says in her diary “Sarajevo will be the poorer for losing so many wonderful
people, who made it what it was. It’s the war that’s making them go, this idiocy that we’ve been
living through for a full seven- and- half months.” (Filipovic, 1993, p. 95) The orthodox theory
does not support the destruction of human capital since without them the GNI will decline. In
support, Zlata also mentions that “All I can see are the poor people still lugging water, and the
even poorer invalids ---young people without arms and legs. They’re the ones who had the
fortune or perhaps the misfortune to survive.” (Filipovic, 1993, p. 124) Moreover, the Keynesian
Model falls under the orthodox approach of economics. According to Investopedia “Keynesian
economics is a macroeconomic economic theory of total spending in the economy and its effects
on output, employment, and inflation.” (2020) Moreover this means that if supply and demand
decrease in the economy then total spending will be negatively impacted. For example, the
markets in Zlata’s Diary were not for the average person. Zlata states “How can you buy
anything when one egg cost 5 Deutsche Marks, a bark of chocolate 20 DM, biscuits 40 DM, a
package of coffee 120 DM. Who is it for if we ordinary people cannot afford it? (Filipovic,1993,
p.138) Since Sarajevo is in a war, it makes sense why suppliers would have higher prices, and
consumers will have less demand for goods and services, but this does not help with the total
GDP; therefore, the orthodox theory of economics would not agree with the war in Bosnia.

Secondly, Heterodox Approach can be considered the outcast of economic theories.

According to Market Business News “Heterodox economics refers to schools of economic
thought or methodologies that are outside ‘mainstream economics,’ often represented by
expositors as contrasting with or going beyond neoclassical economics.” (n.d) This considers
many other factors that orthodox theory does not which can be very meaningful for the
development of a country. According to Economic Development “In short, during the 1970s,
economic development came to be redefined in terms of the reduction or elimination of poverty,
inequality, and unemployment within the context of a growing economy. “Redistribution from
growth” became a common slogan” (Todaro& Smith, 2011, p.15) It was no longer only
concerned with GNP and GNI, but also the value of individuals and specific issues holding back
development. Additionally, Todaro and Smith continue in Economic Development by stating
“The questions to ask about a country’s development are therefore: What has been happening to
poverty? What has been happening to unemployment? What has been happening to inequality? If
all three of these have declined from high levels, then beyond doubt this has been a period of
development for the country concerned.” (2011, p. 15) Based on Todaro and Smith teaching it
can be unquestionably said that Sarajevo was going backwards on its journey of development.
The heterodox approach would not agree with the war that was occurring in Bosnia since it
negatively influenced poverty, human capital, and inequality and other mitigating factors. It did
nothing to raise the standard of living for the citizens impacted by the war. For example, Braco,
who is Zlata’s uncle, was forced to flee his home since his neighbourhood was burned down.
People were being torched to death by the raging fire, and Braco had injured his leg but managed
to escape. (Filipovic, 1993) Zlata mentioned that “Braco and his family joined the list of
hundreds of families in Sarajevo who are left with nothing. Absolutely nothing.” (Filipovic,
1993, p.102) With the increase of individuals left without homes, more people will not be able to
take care of their basic needs. This increases poverty and creates more dependency on external
factors. Apart from this, war disrupts the education system. Children are forced to stay at home
because of the fear of losing their lives, and many receive little to no education during the period
of war. For example, Zlata was out of school numerous times and was even considering finishing
the curriculum by herself. (Filipovic, 1993) The lack of education results in many poor decisions
in the future which is detrimental to the standard of living in the economy. Lastly, the citizens
were experiencing a lack of electricity and water. This caused a great strain on families to walk a
great distance and stand in long lines to receive water. Zlata mentioned how inventive people
were becoming to fetch water. They would use wheelchairs, hospital tables and even
wheelbarrows. (Filipovic, 1993, p. 159) Additionally, during the winter it was especially hard to
stay warm without the help of electricity, (Filipovic, 1993) The struggle was very evident in
Sarajevo as they fought every day to stay alive. In brief, all these factors aid in the contribution
of why the heterodox theory does not support war as a means of development.

Lastly, there are some solutions to fix the Bosnia economy. Firstly, through the orthodox
theory, the economist who supports the neoclassical approach, would recommend that they stop
the war and let the market fix itself. They believe that eventually, the economy will become
stable, but first and foremost stop the fighting since there is nothing to gain. To support this,
according to OpenStax Macroeconomics “When economists and policymakers consider all of
these time lags and political realities, active fiscal policy may fail to address the current problem
and could even make the future economy worse. The average U.S. post-World War II recession
has lasted only about a year. By the time government policy activates, the recession will likely be
over.” (n.d) This means that the best way to fix the economy in Bosnia is to leave it alone since
government policies take a long time to see results. Secondly, through the orthodox approach,
economists believe that adjusting prices will stimulate growth in Sarajevo. Decreasing prices for
goods and services will increase the demand for people who could not afford them before.
Moreover, this will later cause higher employment, then more money will start flowing through
the Economy. People like Zlata and her family who could not afford the higher prices at the
market will be able to finally start buying what was considered their normal goods. The orthodox
approach relies heavily on economic models, these solutions will help to boost the GNP for the
Economy and save Sarajevo through this economic strategy eyes. Next, the heterodox approach
believes in more specific solutions to the development of Sarajevo. They also believe that the
war is not beneficial to the economy since it does not improve the standard of living for citizens.
Therefore, stop the war and focus on helping the people who are in need. Firstly, they must
prioritize what is important before implementing strategies. For example, many homes in Bosnia
lacked water and electricity. The government should first work on granting access to these
necessities so that individuals will be able to function effectively. Moreover, Zlata mention that
the journey for water was a lengthy process so the government and other organizations should
focus on providing more water stations for citizens. Simultaneously, the government can work
on rehabilitating the water pipes across Sarajevo. Moreover, the organizations and government
should work on providing those affected by war with sheltered homes until they can start
supplying for themselves again. Lastly, increase the number of care packages given to people
during this time of hardship. For example, the UN would send packages of food and other
necessities occasionally to the Zlata’s household, but this is not nearly enough. (Filipovic, 1993,
p.65) To get Sarajevo back on its feet, they need all the help they can get. The publishing of
Zlata’s book was a great way of making more people aware of the situation that was sucking the
life out of Bosnia. Overall, by approaching this situation through a more unorthodox approach,
and implementing these strategies on a small-scale level, Bosnia will be able to spread its wings
again in the future.
 In conclusion, Zlata’s Diary: A child in Wartime Sarajevo, highlighted the hardship that
many faced during the time of war. The orthodox and heterodox approaches took into account its
view on development and solutions to the problems faced in Sarajevo. On the other hand, it will
never take into account the innocent, especially the children who did not deserve to be stripped
of their education, safety, and loved ones. The war created irreversible damages to the country
but also wounds so deep in many of the citizen's hearts. However, it also brought forth the
resilience of Sarajevo. Even in times of uncertainty they still managed to smile and to make the
most of what they had. They unified under these circumstances and showed only kindness, love,
and support to those wrongfully impacted by the war. As long as good people continue to exist,
there is hope for a better society of tomorrow.
 References

Filipovic, Z. (1993). Zlata's Diary: A Child Life in Wartime Sarajevo.

Halton, C. (2021, September 13). Mainstream economics definition. Investopedia. Retrieved

November 13, 2021, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mainstream-
economics.asp.

Heterodox economics - definition and meaning. Market Business News. (2019, April 5).
Retrieved November 13, 2021, from https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-
glossary/heterodox-economics/.

Jean-Paul Sartre Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from
BrainyQuote.com Web site:
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/jeanpaul_sartre_108422

OpenStax. (n.d.). OpenStax Macroeconomics 2E. The Policy Implications of the Neoclassical
Perspective | OpenStax Macroeconomics 2e. Retrieved November 13, 2021, from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-fmcc-macroeconomics/chapter/the-policy-
implications-of-the-neoclassical-perspective/.

Team, T. I. (2021, July 27). Keynesian economics definition. Investopedia. Retrieved November
13, 2021, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/k/keynesianeconomics.asp.

Todaro, M. (2011). Economic Development (11th ed.).