3.5.8  Policy towards Developing Countries

 (This is a current extract from the Patterns of Power Repository.  An archived copy of this page is held at https://www.patternsofpower.org/edition02/358.htm)

Irrespective of moral and political considerations, poverty in developing countries is worth addressing from an economic perspective:

·      It is directly in everybody's economic interest that developing countries become wealthier €“ to increase the total market for goods and services.

·      Population growth is lower in developed countries.[1]  As developing countries become wealthier, with better education, it is reasonable to suppose that their population growth would eventually slow down.  This would reduce the demographic imbalance in population growth and would therefore reduce migratory pressures (3.4.3.3).

·      The world as a whole would be wealthier if the productive capacity of poorer countries were more developed where they have a natural comparative advantage.

·      Everybody benefits if people can stay in their homes.  There would be less need for economic migration, and therefore fewer problems in the destination countries, if there were more jobs in poorer countries.

Although most people would agree that it would be better if the poverty in developing countries were reduced or eliminated, there are sharp disagreements about the best course of action to bring this about.  The issue is to identify the best approach €“ starting by enabling people to survive (3.5.8.1), then enabling their economies to grow (3.5.8.2) and finally by allowing them to trade fairly with the rest of the world (3.5.8.3).

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