Economic Geography and Development - Essay Example

Economic Geography Economic development is the use of policies to improve the life of people, both socially and economically. It does not look into the economic growth, but rather the well-being of individuals. Underdevelopment is the state of failing to utilize resources appropriately, such that the country lags behind socially and economically as compared to where it should be. Underdeveloped countries have large populations of unemployed people, an enormous economic gap between the rich and the poor, and lack of enough food to sustain the entire population. There are several causes of poverty and underdevelopment. These include corruption of state officials, poor management of resources, and over dependence on foreign aid, poor government policies, lack of proper education, and lack of good infrastructure. These factors, summed up with the global epidemics of global warming and climate change, lead to underdevelopment in a country. Corruption among state officials is a common phenomenon in many underdeveloped and poor countries. This was the case in Kenya’s Goldenberg Saga in which tax payers’ money was squandered in the name of trading gold and other precious stones. The power that these masterminds possess is derived from their money. These corrupt officials never got any legal punishment. The corrupt officials also fail to deploy development funds to the regions that require them, and instead pocket the biggest portions of it. The result of this greed is the lack of development in the deprived regions and the eventual poverty of the people living in these areas. Another cause of poverty and underdevelopment is the poor management of natural resources and their under-utilization. These resources include earth minerals, water bodies, agricultural land, and sources of energy. There is no much effort in tapping natural resources and using them for development. A case in check is solar power. It was hardly tapped in large amounts to power massive utilities. Instead, underdeveloped countries depended on imported petroleum products for fuel. Oil is expensive and one cannot renew it once it is used up, unlike the natural and cheap solar energy and wind energy. Agricultural land is also not utilized to its fullest. Instead, people are abandoning it and going to look for jobs in the cities, and yet these countries have no food security. Poor government policies are also another reason for underdevelopment. These poor policies fail to address the issues affecting underdeveloped countries. They include misplaced financial decisions, such as those directing funds to luxurious state buildings instead of economic development projects. They also include the signing of deals with foreign investors for the development of unreasonable projects such as nuclear energy, and yet most of these countries are yet to tap the solar power. Lack of proper education is another essential element of failure in underdeveloped countries. This lack of education limits the extent to which a country can develop because it has no skilled manpower to drive it through this development. Lack of skills in areas such as technology, agriculture, economics and governance leaves a country in a state of confusion when it needs to carry out development projects. At times, governments end up importing skilled labor, which is quite costly. On other occasions, foreign advisors are also called upon to assist the country leaders in governance. This dependence is usually not the best way to go because some foreigners usually have their hidden motives. They assist in one way and still oppress in another. The oppression comes out in terms of luring the leaders into signing contracts that benefit the countries of the foreigners. These contracts can sometimes mean that locals will be deprived of job opportunities when a certain contract is handed over to the foreigners (Coe, 2013). Colonialism of Africa by the Europeans led to its underdevelopment. Despite the fact that some arguments are made on the developments made by Europeans on African soil, it is evident that they did much worse than good. The Portuguese may have colonized Guinea, Mozambique and Angola for 5 centuries but they left without having trained any medical doctor in Mozambique. Without development food security, life expectancy in Angola dropped to less than 30 years (Rodney, 1973). Other colonized countries were also left in states of crisis and poverty, and had to go through a phase of recovery to get back on their feet. There are ways and means that can be used to counter these causes of poverty and underdevelopment. One of them is by having a good government. The good government comes with good governance, and consequently, corruption is eradicated. With open deals and contracts, development can never fail. Leaders who do not embezzle funds channel it to the right areas and achieve maximum returns in terms of economic development. They eventually end up providing employment for the many jobless citizens through the simple way of starting development projects in the rural areas. Another solution to underdevelopment and poverty is the proper utilization of resources. The available resources should be used optimally, encouraging the recycling of renewable ones. Countries should go after renewable sources of fuel, with the aim of using them on a large scale, and even in the industrial sector. With the tapping of natural resources, investors, both local and foreign, come in with ideas and funding. Before long, development is realized in great lengths. Mined minerals and harvested crops should also not be exported raw. They should be processed locally and exported with a much higher price than that of natural products. This exportation increases the foreign exchange of a country and promotes economic development. The people in underdeveloped countries are also encouraged to take up education and to stick to it beyond the lower levels. They should look for professional qualifications that can help them start their businesses and be self-employed instead of waiting for opportunities from the government. An educated nation knows so much about matters development and can know when they are doing things wrong, and how they can improve their economy. They are also aware of what other countries are doing to stay developed (Gibson, 2013). Globally, economic development is constructed by looking at the epidemics that affect the whole world. Such include climate change, food insecurity and the need to revolutionize global communication. Global economic development is deployed by making comprehensive policies through international organizations like the United Nations. Such policies cover food security and the development of a green economy that counters environmental pollution. The deployment of fiber optics communication and under-sea cables for faster Internet connectivity has enhanced the rate at which businesses move and grow. It has also brought the world together in terms of communication and sharing of information. People can now share ideas on economic development across continents at very high speeds (Nafziger, 2006). Works cited Rodney, Walter, and A. M. Babu. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Rev. Pbk. ed. Washington, D.C.: Howard UP, 1973 Coe, Neil, Philip Kelly, and Henry W. C. Yeung. Economic Geography: A Contemporary Introduction. 2nd edition. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013. Gibson-Graham, J. K., Jenny Cameron, and Stephen Healy. Take Back the Economy: An Ethical Guide for Transforming Our Communities. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2013. Nafziger, E. Wayne, and E. Wayne Nafziger. Economic Development. 4th ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2006. Read More