Development and the Third World

Some Introductory Concepts and

Definitions
 What is the Third World?
 Great awareness of contrasts in living standards
 Originated after WWII as a political category
implying ‘positive neutralism’ in Cold War
context
 Talk broadly about ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ countries
 Less affluent countries also referred to as:
‘backward’, ‘underdeveloped’ , ‘less developed
or developing’
 More recently terms used such as: ‘South’, and
‘2/3rds World’
 ‘Development Worlds’

 1st World: largely Western industrial and

market economies
 2nd World : planned economies-former East
European countries but now shrinking
rapidly
 3rd World: poor or developing economies
 4th World: the very poorest economies
where little development progress has
occurred
 How to Identify the Third World?
 2003 World Bank scheme based on per
capita income (Per Capita Gross National
Income) (
www.worldbank.org/data/countryclass/
countryclass.html)
 Low Income: < $735
 Lower Middle Income: $736-$2935
 UpperMiddle Income: $2,936 - $9,075
 High Income: >$9,075
http://www.worldbank.org/data/maps/maps.htm
 Other Measures of Underdevelopment
 But income is only one measure used to
indicate levels of development-others are:
 Literacy- Education Levels especially
beyond Elementary School
 Agriculture- Arable Land, Average Daily
Caloric Intake and more generally Diet
 Health- Lifespan (< 50 years), Access to
Medical Care, Delivery of Family Planning
Services
 Other Measures of Underdevelopment

 Access to basic services such as

potable water and electricity
 Land- Owning, rather than renting,
sufficient land to provide for an average
sized family
 Availability of Employment beyond
minimal services occupations
 Historical Perspectives on the Third
World
 1945-1955: Period of western disconcern-little
interest in problem of underdevelopment;
developed nations preoccupied with their own
reconstruction and growing East-West-Cold
War
 1955-1965: Period of optimism and high
expectations; 3rd World was object of intense
attention; primary belief-poor countries were
lagging and with outside assistance they would
catch up; various aid schemes conceived
 Historical Perspectives on the Third
World cont’d
 1965-1975: period of growing skepticism;
widespread disillusion with realization that
development more complex than previously
realized
 1975-1990: period of pessimism and re-
evaluation; growing frustration brought on by
worldwide economic crisis (increased energy
costs, high inflation, massive unemployment,
economic stagnation, growing indebtedness;
expansion of deregulation, PVOs, NGOs;
decline in demand for raw materials from 3 rd
World
 Contemporary Situation
 Strong impact of globalization at all levels
(nation, region, village and family) especially
significance of firms searching for cheap labor
 Democratization: empowerment and
participation movements
 Liberalization: deregulation and privatization
 Women and gender roles in development
scrutinized and emphasized