Development

The World Bank was founded toward the end of World War II by representatives from the 44 Allied nations. Its stated mission was to reduce poverty in developing countries through direct loans. Currently, the organization manages 1,600 projects in 172 countries and in 2012 provided approximately $30 billion in loans.

Many societies that feature democratic forms of governance on the surface suffer from a variety of ills that can chip away at citizens’ trust in their current form of government. Corruption, crime and bribery plague much of the developing world. But precisely which factors are essential to the growth and continued prosperity of democratic institutions is a longstanding debate in the social sciences.

Research has shown that fair-trade transactions — in which relatively wealthy global consumers purchase goods produced by less affluent producers — appeal to consumers’ ethical and altruistic impulses and can provide much-needed resources to producers. Inquiry has been limited, though, on the extent to which overall living standards among producers are truly improved. Marketing claims about the purported benefits of fair trade and its contribution to “ethical globalization” rest on related premises.

While the full impact of climate change has yet to be felt, agencies such as NASA, the EPA, and NOAA have chronicled its initial effects over the last 30 years. In addition to rising sea levels and shrinking glaciers, evidence includes modifications in species habitats. Coral suffer as temperatures rise, while other less welcome species can flourish.

At the 2009 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, concern focused on the global climate impacts of land-use changes such as deforestation. While the conference sought to establish regulations on emissions resulting from land-use changes only for rapidly growing countries, growth and urbanization in more developed nations also plays a role.

Governments in developed countries often provide foreign aid to developing countries in an effort to improve economic, social and political development. Regardless of the intended use for the money, recipient governments sometimes employ the funds to keep civil peace and to accommodate the demands of new groups, especially in times of tension. A sudden withdrawal of foreign aid could thus trigger internal struggles.

The Republic of South Sudan became the world’s newest nation on July 9, 2011. Although the Second Sudanese Civil War officially ended in 2005, nearly 40 years of conflict have left South Sudan with substantial economic and infrastructure challenges, ranging from protracted border disputes to a high rate of illiteracy and limited access to clean water.

As nations undergo economic development and open their markets, they will see necessary structural change within their labor sectors. One key assumption about globalization is that it will uniformly force economies to become more productive and efficient as competition exerts pressure. However, local conditions may significantly alter globalization’s impact, particularly as it relates to the nature and quality of employment.

The economies of Brazil, China and India are growing faster than many of their counterparts in the developing world. Despite this rapid growth, large portions of the populations in all three nations continue to live in conditions of poverty. Each country has had some success in reducing the numbers of impoverished citizens. But these achievements have come through very different approaches, with each employing a distinctive mix along two basic dimensions: pro-poor growth and pro-poor social policies.