O underdevelopment is a term developed after the end of World War II to designate those countries that have a low level of wealth, a a weakened economy, with an absence of structural and social factors, in addition to high records of poverty, income concentration and misery. Underdeveloped countries - also called "developing" - correspond to those territories which, to a greater or lesser extent, have a relationship of economic and structural dependence on others. countries.
It is incorrect to think that underdevelopment is a “stage” for a country's development. In a famous phrase, Josué de Castro states that "Underdevelopment is a product or a by-product of development, a inevitable derivation of colonial or neo-colonial economic exploitation, which continues to be exerted over various regions of the planet".
At first, the underdeveloped countries were known by the so-called "third world", in a political-economic regionalization of the a globe that also segmented it into first world (developed capitalist countries) and second world (socialist or economic countries planned). With the fall of the second world, the planet began to be regionalized in
developed northern countries, basically composed of a good part of Europe and the United States, as well as Australia and Russia, and the underdeveloped southern countries, formed by the other national territories.What are the criteria for defining whether a country is underdeveloped or developed?
The main factor to define a country's level of development is economic. However, this factor is not the only one, as there are countries that do not have a very strong economy, but are considered developed, such as Switzerland. In addition to the economy, the Human Development Index (HDI), the economic and technological dependence that a country has or exercises, the existing chronic social problems and the quality of services offered to the population, such as housing, education and health, can be highlighted.
It must be emphasized, however, that poverty and misery are not exclusive elements of peripheral countries. Even in developed countries there is poverty and misery, like the United States, which has a large number of poor people, even in cities like New York. In this case, poverty is intensified by the high cost of living in urban social spaces.
Generally, underdeveloped countries have a colonial or highly dependent past. An exemplary case are the African countries, all of which were formed from the colonization process carried out right after the partition of the continent by the imperialist powers of the time. As a legacy, many armed conflicts were born or intensified, in addition to the great exploitation of natural resources and the poor distribution of income.
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Furthermore, underdeveloped countries have a history of little or no influence on the international political picture. Russia, for example, despite having economic and social problems – especially due to the crisis suffered in the country during the 1990s –, it is framed in the developed world by its political power and by the military and material structures inherited from the extinct Soviet Union. There are authors, however, who classify Russia as a “transition” territory.
Is Brazil an underdeveloped country? And China? Did she join the developed group?
Brazil and China are, at least for the time being, considered underdeveloped countries. However, these countries, as well as India, have been showing successive economic growths in recent years, in an average much higher than the growth of developed countries, ranking among the ten largest GDPs in the world. Even with the financial crisis that hit the world from 2008, these countries did not feel very significant effects.
Thus, in order to give the deserved prominence to these nations, the category of emerging countries to refer to those economies that present a relatively high development compared to other peripheral territories. However, these countries are still underdeveloped.
Emerging countries are considered: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), although there is disagreement on the Russian question, as well as Mexico, Turkey, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Argentina, Uruguay, among others.
Can an underdeveloped country become developed?
As we have already emphasized, underdevelopment is not a stage or stage that precedes economic development. However, there are economists who believe that underdeveloped countries can eventually become developed, provided they manage to improve their economies, reduce the conditions of extreme poverty and poverty, offer services such as sanitation to the entire population and significantly improve development human.
In opposition to this conception, there are more skeptical thinkers who consider underdevelopment an intrinsically linked condition. to the world capitalist system, which, in order to exist, depends on the existence of deep social inequalities between classes and between peoples. Furthermore, from this perspective, underdevelopment would not be fought without economic dependence relations and politics in relation to developed nations were broken, which is practically impossible in the global scenario. current.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena