Ignored social needs of developing countries

Economic development, and particularly industrialization, is too often implemented without due application of a unified approach of integrated and balanced economic and social planning. This may give rise to social problems and retards development. In many countries poverty and mass unemployment, for example, are so widespread and affect so critically the social equilibrium that they constitute, in themselves, blocks to further improvement. It is no longer possible to rely on the assumption that an expanding modern economic sector will, in a reasonable interval of time, absorb the mass of people and provide them with decent living standards.

1. Developing countries with their still-recent experience of colonialism, are disinclined to discuss their social structures and priorities with developed countries. The developed countries are also disinclined to negotiate what they consider purely internal matters, such as levels and patterns of consumption. The result is that economic issues dominate the North-South negotiations.

1. The content of North-South negotiations indicates that social issues are very much at the centre of concern. When food is being considered, for instance, although the focus is on the nuts and bolts of finance, production and distribution, the end result is more food for the hungry. Similarly, when the transfer of technology is negotiated, such vital social needs as employment, health and transportation shape the priorities of governments. In fact all economic negotiations are conducted with social ends in view.

1. Unethical practices relating to development
2. Social underdevelopment
3. Social apathy
4. International economic injustice
5. Increasing unsustainability of global development
6. Inadequate response to societal needs

1. Structural failure of integrated rural development
2. Social hardships of economic reform
3. Inappropriate industrialization in developing countries
4. Inadequate primary health care
5. Deficient social planning
6. Abuse of native peoples

1. Social unaccountability
2. Shortage of professional and technical personnel
3. Sectoral imbalances
4. Neglect of agricultural and rural life
5. Ineffective delivery of basic human resource services
6. Inadequate working conditions
7. Imbalance between urbanization and industrialization
8. Economic uncertainty
9. Economic exploitation
10. Difficulty of implementing development programmes
11. Countries in crisis

1. Planning conflicts between political and industrial sectors
2. Overemphasis on economic progress in society
3. Over-reliance on economic interest groups by policy agencies
4. Misunderstanding
5. Inherent patriarchal distortion of planning
6. Inadequate models of socio-economic development
7. Inadequacy of economic accounting systems
8. Economic bias in development

1. Globalization of social issues

1. Separate and unequal development within societies
2. Dominance of economic motives

1. Unbalancing economic and social planning
2. Providing sufficient understanding of social and economic contexts in development programmes
3. Providing a platform for South-South NGO cooperation
4. Orienting economic policy toward social need
5. Integrating development
6. Ignoring plight of disadvantaged people
7. Dialoguing between North and South
8. Balancing economic and social planning
9. Abstaining from understanding of social and economic contexts in development programmes

1. Imbalance
2. Ignored
3. Lack
4. Unintegrated