Characteristics Of The 3rd World Countries 34n4w

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES

Third World "Third World" is a phrase commonly used to describe a developing nation, but actually started as term used to describe a country's allegiance. A Third World country is a country whose views are not aligned with NATO and capitalism or the Soviet Union and communism. In present-day English, the Third World is "the developing countries of Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa".

The “three worlds” of the Cold war era, as of the period between April 1975 and August

1975. FIRST WORLD : United States, United Kingdom and their allies SECOND WORLD : Soviet Union, China and their allies THIRD WORLD : Neutral and non-aligned countries

Following is the list of third world countries in of human development and press freedom according to UN, IMF and CIA World Fact Book: Togo

Comoros

Kenya

Mauritania

Madagascar

Haiti

Pakistan

Burkina Faso

Afghanistan

Timor Leste

Bangladesh

Chad

Guinea

Sierra Leone

Chad Tunisia

Somalia

Mozambique

Nigeria

Libya

Yemen

Ethiopia

Cuba

Belarus

Liberia

Mali

North Korea

Zambia

Myanmar

Guinea Bissau

Djibouti

Uganda

Senegal

Maldives

Congo

Lesotho

Benin

Iraq

Vietnam

Nepal

Cote de Ivoire

Iran

Rwanda

Kenya

Gambia

Major Characteristics of the Third World Countries  Low

Level and Inadequate Living Standards

 Low Levels of Productivity

High Rates of Population Growth and Dependency Burdens  High and Rising Levels of Unemployment and Under-Employment

Heavy Dependence on Agri-Production  Shortage of Capital

Low Level and Inadequate Living Standards

 The third world countries are characterized with low living levels. Not only the majority of the population are poorer as compared with their western counter-parts, but they are also wretched financially in comparison with their own small elites living in big towns and cities.

 Low levels of living can be observed both quantitatively as well as qualitatively in the form of low incomes, inadequate housing facilities, poor health, limited or no education, high infant mortality rates (IMR), low life and work expectancy, and a general sense of malaise and hopelessness.

Low Levels of Productivity

Third world countries are not only furnished with low levels of living, but they are characterized by low levels of labor productivity. It is the production function which establishes a relation between inputs and outputs.

The low levels of incomes lead to low productivity in the developing countries. As the poor nutrition in childhood often restricts the mental and physical growth of individuals. Low incomes lead to low living levels and then to low productivity levels

High Rates of Population Growth and Dependency Burdens  The high birth rates in third world countries has led to enhance the ratio of dependents.  Children and the old aged person who do not contribute to work are often referred to "Dependency Burden”. It is so in the sense that they are non-productive of the society and they are financially ed by the working force  In third world countries not only the birth rates are very high but they alt have a greater dependency burden than first world countries. Thus the population growth is becoming major obstacle in the way of growth of third world countries.

High and Rising Levels of Unemployment and Under-Employment The low levels of living in third world countries is also attributed to inadequate or inefficient utilization of labor. 1) There is under-employment of labor i.e. the labor are working

less than what they could. The underemployment also denotes a situation where the workers are working full time but their productivity is so low that the displacement of so many workers will not reduce the output. 2) There is an open unemployment of labor, that is the labor who

are not only capable, but also eager to work do not get the jobs.

Heavy Dependence on Agri-Production  The big majority of people in Third World countries live and work in rural areas.  The low agri. productivity in UDCs is attributed to primitive technologies, poor organization, reduced use of modern inputs, lack of storage facilities, limited agri. extension programs and shortage of human and physical capital.  In case of Third World countries’ agriculture sector is of subsistence nature and lacks commercialization. The land tenure system is very outdated; the tenants have to pay big rents to land lords

Shortage of Capital  The capital is said to be the life blood of production. Accordingly, the countries having the dearth of capital will remain backward and poor.  The shortage of capital in third world countries is attributed to Vicious Circle of Poverty (V).  This V comes into being because of low incomes. The low incomes lead to low savings which lead to low investment and the low purchasing power which leads to low income again.