structural, BUT

As we discussed during Tuesday’s class there are different ways to approach aiding the poor.  First, providing aid for people’s survival or second, aiding in the ability to be rich.  I think the it is more important to provide aid for people’s survival.  How can one be rich without first having the means of survival?  With this in mind I would say that although I think both basic needs and structural issues need to be addressed I think basic needs need to be taken care of first.  However, I think the most effective way to address basic needs to first achieve the structural issue of having a good leader.

 

In an ideal situation the first step of getting a population out of poverty would begin by having a strong leader.  Keep in mind this situation is an idea-- the leader would not fall to corruption, would not have solely his/ her own or his/her party in mind.  The leader would look out for the interest of the entirety of the states population equally, not discriminating on sex, age, gender, social status, etc.  Rather than focus on first establishing other structural issues I think the leader would first need to address basic needs.  By ensuring basic needs, the leader is assuring the survival of the state’s people, without a population there is not way a state can achieve anything.

 

When group one of the fish bowl talked, they said there are three categories of factors of how states become poor or rich; idiosyncratic factors, having a good (or bad) leader/government, and the historical background of a state.  We said having a good leader or government was one factor itself but, having a good leader or government can also determine the effects of idiosyncratic factor.  Take for example the US government’s actions after Katrina.  If FEMA had acted differently the outcome could have been entirely different.  Of course the government could never have prevented Katrina from coming, but it could have found better ways of getting aid to those who needed (and still need) it.

 

By first ensuring the basic needs of its people I think structural issues addressed later on with have a higher rate of success.  Once a person is assured that he or she have the ability to survive the person can then look beyond survival.  The person can begin to think about getting rich.  It is at this point that structural issues other than leadership (building such as roads, establishing manufacturing/industry, etc) should be addresses.