Unluckiness

Belief in luck and the difficulties following from bad luck are widespread, both in developed and developing countries. It is a major preoccupation in certain cultures and milieu, especially those where gambling is favoured. Some people, groups or locations may be perceived as bearers of bad luck. Many superstitions relate to the possibility of bringing on bad luck. Some of these continue to be treated with concern in development related projects. In 1990, for example, special publicity was given to the role of the President of Argentina in bringing bad luck under a wide variety of circumstances. Officials of NASA declared in 1990 that their space programmes were suffering from a run of bad luck.