| It’s hard to get into a discussion about global matters without the terms “first world” and “third world” being bandied about. Before looking at whether these are of use, here’s my [exaggerated] view of what people associate with the two: |
| First World | Third World |
| Plentitude | Starvation |
| Liberal Democracy | Genocidal Dictatorship |
| Education | Superstition |
| Whites | Non-whites |
| Technology | Poverty |
| High life span | Death before 40 |
| 2 child families | 9 child families |
| Widespread contraception | Genital mutilation |
You might feel a natural inclination to protest: very few divide the world into such a simplistic dichotomy. However, even if our views allow for a bit more nuance, there’s still very much an attitude that these labels are “natural types”, that they exist out there. Does this division make sense?
It does a little bit, says Hans Rosling. But only for the 1950s. This worldview is basically a time capsule from an era when there really was a clear divide among the countries of the world on most metrics (lifespan, income, education etc).
But Rosling went and got something that’s usually missing from broad-brush characterisations: data. He started a site called Gapminder where you can watch graphical animations of how countries’ key factors (eg. health expenditure and lifespan) compare over time.
To see him in action, see Rosling’s latest TED talk where he busts the 1st/3rd world divide (he has previous talks too: 1|2|3). There has not been a firm divide for decades. Countries lie on a continuum, from the billion people living on less than $1 a day all the way to the richest countries — with virtually no gaps. Same for most other characteristics.
The most interesting part of his talks is the busting of other myths associated with the 1st/3rd world label. You can see a video of Turkey vs France. In 1960, Turkey had a much higher fertility rate and lower life expectancy. Now, it has overtaken 1960s-France for both factors, improving very quickly. Many of the countries we might call “third world” have very similar living conditions today to the “first world” countries our parents lived in.
So, what to do, what to do? I suggest watching his fascinating TED videos and playing with the site. But the more important lesson is that we should all be skeptical of labels that relegate entire countries (or even continents) based on jingoism. Next time someone mentions these labels, ask what they mean. Chances are the answer will be imprecise and will be contradicted by data.
This is about more than the neatness of labels: such simplistic labeling tends to foster an us-vs-them mentality, which can hinder even the best of motives. For instance this mentality finds its way into philantropy — if your attitude is that “us” first-worlders must go “out there” and help, this is probably too paternalistic to help with root causes of problems. It just happens that we’re in luck — such divisive thinking is not supported by those little things known as facts.
6 comments ↓
I can tell you for sure (since I’m in this business) that the education/superstition factor does not any longer hold. As an example (I have plenty!), we are very keen in Scotland to bring students from “third world” countries because they can do elementary things that locals cannot. For instance, and without exaggeration, a large fraction of British university students do not understand how to divide an integer by another. The “third world” students smile at this. And we are happy to collect their money. We now have special deals with Malaysia, Libya, Cameroon, Nigeria, etc. We sell degrees for a fee. I suspect that these people know what they are getting in the UK. However, it is still the case that an empty “degree” from a “prestigious” university is more valuable (in terms of cash–finding a job) than a meaningful degree from a less prestigious place in the third world. As for superstition, I’m sure you are well aware of the superstitious idiotic practices of many in first world countries, like this one.
Well most of the really harmful superstition still happens in countries people label “third world”, eg:
-child witch persecution
-killing albinos for their organs
-people being arrested or killed because others claim they are witches who stole their penises
-governments refusing AIDS medication because they think it’s a western conspiracy and the disease can be treated with garlic and sweet potato
(Don’t have time to dig up the links for now but all of these are extremely true — you can’t make stuff like that up).
But yes, in terms of education, countries are now on a continuum. I don’t really buy that western countries are getting dumber (IQ scores are I think improving across the board) but there are certainly countries that rival and exceed many western countries in terms of the % of people who finish uni.
Michael: Yes, I agree. I have seen reports about most of the practices you mentioned. But I read that the rising of IQ scores is a fallacy. People are not getting smarter (or dumber), but, somehow, there are problems with design of IQ tests, the methods, and the very concept per se. I don’t want to talk from the top of my head. If I find some time I’ll get back to it.
[...] optimistic way of looking at world hunger and giving though. If you look at real trends (see my post about the 1st vs 3rd world), this 1/6th who are hungry will continue to shrink GFC or no GFC. It will continue to shrink with [...]
I know it’s problematic, I just finished 2 books debunking IQ testing (including Gould’s classic), will do a post on it sometime soon. However it might still be the case that people are getting smarter over time but because of our cognitive biases we think things are always getting worse
Much like people have been talking about teenagers “never respecting their elders anymore, unlike in my day” — from as early as ancient Rome!
[...] think the idea of a “Third World” has much merit. I’ve posted on this briefly a few years ago but I hope I’ve learnt a thing or two since [...]