Industrialization

[calbiterol]

Does anyone have experience with industrialization (if at all possible, in the context of developing nations) and its pre-requisites and would be willing to be interviewed (via email)?

 

Thanks much.

[calbiterol]

*Cricket*

*Cricket*

 

Seriously? Nobody even has OPINIONS on industrialization? What happened to all of the history people?

[abskebabs]

*Cricket*

*Cricket*

 

Seriously? Nobody even has OPINIONS on industrialization? What happened to all of the history people?

Sorry I didnt notice your post before, I don't have any "hands on" experience with industrialisation if thats what you meant; though I do know a little bit about it? I dont want to drone on and on about it so if you have any specific questions I'll do my best to answer them. Please mind I havent done a degree or anything in economics, it's just that subjects like this do interest me.

[Pleiades]

Maybe if you were a little more specific about what kind of experience you are looking for. Some background information would be nice.

[calbiterol]

Background information and clarifications are no problem at all. Reading what I have previously posted, I might sound a little angry - but I'm realy not mad, I was just surprised.

 

As for what kind of experience with industrialization, if you have ever worked towards industrialization of a developing nation, that would be fantastic, but I don't have a problem if your experience is more along the lines of a history book. Pretty much anything goes.

 

On to more specifics. I ask because I am doing a research paper for school, and I have chosen to write my paper on what would have to happen before sub-Saharan Africa could be industrialized. In all honesty, I could find most of the information myself, but we are required to have at least 2 interviews. I already have one (a friend who went to visit family in South Africa), but that wasn't all that helpful because South Africa is already (for the most part) industrialized.

 

So to be more to-the-point, here's some questions that are much more specific - and don't be afraid to answer with your opinion, or not to answer at all. Oh, and from here on out, when I say Africa, I mean sub-Saharan Africa, but north of South Africa.

 

1.) What would you say is the most important thing that would have to happen in Africa in order for it to be industrialized?

2.) How has this been done in the past with other locales?

3.) What do you think the effect of doing this would be?

 

4.) What do you think are the 5 most important things to the industrialization process (i.e. transportation, coal, water, stable population base, etc)?

 

5.) In your opinion, what social changes would be required for Africa to industrialize? How important are these changes?

6.) What kinds of social changes would be brought about by industrialization? Or, what social changes have already occurred as a result of past industrialization movements in other parts of the world?

7.) Do you think these changes could be realized in present-day Africa? Why or why not?

 

8.) Any other comments?

 

 

Thanks much.

[abskebabs]

Hi again dude, I'll try my best to answer your questions, but I'll just warn you in advance so you can take it into acount that my answers may be a little opinionated. Also I would prefer to use the term development rather than industrialisation, as I feel the latter, although inevitable is not what needs to be concentrated on in the immediate sense to improve living standards in many African countries. This is because I believe growth has to be encouraged in the agriculture sector which is still the major employer in the region.

Ok;

 

1) I think it's quite hard to pin it down to one thing, I guess the most important thing that change that would need to happen in Africa, especially Sub Saharan Africa as you mentioned; is the formation of transparent governments that are truly accountable, above all to their people, as well the outside world. I don't think there can be any true hope for progress without this.

2) I'm not sure where or how this has happened in a country ruled by a despot or oligarchy, but I suppose I could give you 1 fairly recent examples[slightly contentious perhaps] of when a political party in a democracy was thrown out because of its corruption. For example, one of the main reason that Fatah lost in the recent Palestinian elections was due to its bad reputation among the population for its corruption and lack of transparency.

3)I think this happening in many of these countries, would be the first vital step towards making the rest of the necessary changes to allow development of these countries.

4) 1: Democracy

2:Coupled vitally with Accountabillity and transparency

3:Political stabillity

4:Major investment in education and health

5:Free trade agreements with neighbouring African countries in agriculture, perhaps even the formation of an African free trade agreement[not necessarily developed nations, unless they cut subsidies and tariffs].

5) Sorry, I'm not quite sure how I should answer this.

6)Industrialisation or development of these economies would cause the expansion or creation of a middle class, and this in turn wopuld have a positive effect on the local economy, creatind demand for goods, allowing a more diverse economy to develop.

7)I think these changes, slowly but surely could be realised throughout Africa, and many countries have already taken a few of the actions I already mentioned.

8)One more thing, when I mentioned free trade, I think these countries should have relatively open markets for other goods, not related to agriculture and not vital to the country's national interests . This is because competition in the marketplace spurs efficiency and quality of service. This is the value of capitialism.

 

I hope that helped.

[calbiterol]

Yes, it did. Thanks much.

 

Anyone else?

[Foi4895]

I think we missed something important. The beginning of any revolution is need. That is the heart of the change, and that is important to remember. If you are talking about the innovations of the African people I think you have to realize about 300 years ago they were forced backward a few thousand years.

 

When we started taking people out of Africa like any other natural resource we took some very important people. We took great thinkers, and brilliant scientists. We know that for some time it was a seat of knowledge. After the mass extraction of human intelligence many reverted to nomadic tribal life.

 

To cause an industrial revolution in Africa we would have to give them back brilliance. We would have to take leading black scientists and make them live in Africa. I say black scientists because there would need to be some sense of recognition between the people of Africa and their intellectual leaders. The inserted genius would tackle simple problems with innovative intuitive strategies teaching the African people the art of invention.

 

How would you do this politically and socially, I really don't know. If you could relate everyone to Africans and Africans to everyone you would need the genius injected into the country to be of any particular race... I'm sure you could find a few thousand very intelligent thinkers to go live in Africa all expenses paid to just go think about Africa. I think that this kind of brain power focused on solving as many simple problems faced by Africans would be enough to start some technological revolution.

[calbiterol]

Who's to say there aren't already "great thinkers" there? There are plenty of highly intelligent Africans working towards a better Africa.

 

And I don't think race would present an issue, but maybe that's just me.

[Foi4895]

If you review my post you'll see I didn't imply that there weren't great thinkers there. It is inherent to my opinion that there are, were, and always will be great African thinkers, what I proposed was that when the world powers of the time came in and took Africans they didn't discriminate in who they took. I'm saying they took a significant number of highly intelligent progressive thinkers. When this happened Africans compensated, and began working back to where they were, but no matter how you look at it, the growth of the African continent, intellectually, was stunted.I don't mean to suggest that Africans are not as intelligent, merely that in the course of their technological advancement they were inhibited, setting them back, while propelling us forward, creating the iniquity we see today.

 

I propose that if we give back the intellect and take care of the serious over-population due to Britain introducing ignorant farming practices, without any education or information about birth control or modern sexual education, we will see that they quickly catch up in the realm of technological advancements originating from African nationales.

[Foi4895]

The reason I suggested black scientists is the fact that there are advancments coming from South Africa but the gap between the rich and the poor is too great for the poor to feel much inspiration from the rich. Even when a poor person bridges that gap the gap is still there.

 

When I said that they needed to live in Africa I don't mean the way Goodall lived in Africa, but actually take the title expat and become a citizen of a country in Africa that is in the earliest stages of development.

 

I know that this is not a valid source of information. This is not the basis for my argument (I say this for fear of hair splitting) I just believe it accurately illustrates my view. In the movie Mosquito Coast a scientist buys a city on an island in the midle of nowhere and he gives them some techno miracles like ice. I say that accurately depicts most peoples desire to use tools to make their lives easier. The tendency for humans to take the path of least resistance seem obvious, therefore all a people need is inspiration and information, with those two the inquity gap would quickly begin to close.

[calbiterol]

... [W']hat I proposed was that when the world powers of the time came in and took Africans they didn't discriminate in who they took. I'm saying they took a significant number of highly intelligent progressive thinkers. When this happened Africans compensated, and began working back to where they were, but no matter how you look at it, the growth of the African continent, intellectually, was stunted.

I absolutely agree with this statement and I think it was very well-put, both times you said it. I am sorry to have not commented on it the first time, it was an oversight on my part.

 

I don't mean to suggest that Africans are not as intelligent...

I didn't think that's what you were saying either, I just thought... Come to think of it, I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking. Maybe I thought that you meant they were cintinuing to leave Africa to seek better places to live and work - which, to some extent, is true.

 

...but actually take the title expat and become a citizen of a country in Africa that is in the earliest stages of development.

I would also agree with this wholeheartedly.

 

 

I don't get one thing you said, though:

...without any education or information about birth control or modern sexual education...

I would think that modern sex ed would be extremely important to nations within Africa, especially given the extreme number of STD and AIDS victims.

[FindingWeemo]

So to be more to-the-point' date=' here's some questions that are much more specific - and don't be afraid to answer with your opinion, or not to answer at all. Oh, and from here on out, [b']when I say Africa, I mean sub-Saharan Africa, but north of South Africa[/b].

 

Now where have I heard that phrase before?

 

Also, I'd like to throw in my 2 cents on the subject of sex education in sub-Saharan Africa. The education should not be limited to abstinence, as is the case in many schools in the United States. It should encompass all methods of birth control and STD prevention, which does not mean it would promote sexual activity.