Comments on: Why poor countries never develop?

By: Uj

Uj — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 05:38:00 +0000

Great view, shuvachintak. thanks for posting.rnYes China is building the railroads which can be seen as a great connectorrnbetween 2 huge economies.If we can connect these 2 :)

By: shuvachintak

shuvachintak — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:31:00 +0000

I am blatantly speculating, but I don’t think evolution alone answers the question. I think that philosophically Asians have always inclined towards spirituality. You only have to look at Hinduism. It has an effect on the sub-conscious level that translates in the stark contrast our thinking has to those of the “westerners”. Also, I have always thought that Asians have a higher average IQ (if adjusted for the illiteracy). nnOn the topic of aid: you are right to point out the damage free money has created in the Nepali market. Maybe a low interest loan aid would work better? It seems like you are a proponent for free market. However, free market needs intervention as exhibited by the recent global economic crisis. nnMaybe the rise of China and India will have a positive impact on the region as a whole. I read an article on the economist about a planned railroad connecting two major Tibetan cities. The article also pointed out that China plans to extend the service to Nepal; maybe even to India. That would revolutionize Nepali businesses.

By: Uj

Uj — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:38:00 +0000

yep and more “entrepreneurial” aid :) . we need to get social entrepreneurs on the fore-front of aid.

By: Uj

Uj — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:37:00 +0000

Thanks Bijaya for your voice of support !

By: Uj

Uj — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:37:00 +0000

Keep writing ! I agree with your views.

By: Uj

Uj — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:36:00 +0000

Good points ! appreciate your writing .

By: Uj

Uj — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:34:00 +0000

Yes boycott bad aid, and accept aid which i believe is “entrepreneurial” in nature is a way to go.. of course, how do you clean it is the real challenge isn’t it, Nirjan ! nnKeep writing.. great points to bring us passionate ones together to positively change Nepal..

By: Nirjan

Nirjan — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 04:12:00 +0000

UJ dai. I think the argument here is too simplified to explain why poor countries never develop. While I understand where your friend is coming from (however, the premise of his analogies are not at all convincing) , simply placing the blame on aid does nothing to explain other variables that affect ‘development’. The current model of the aid industry perhaps (i say perhaps because I haven’t seen actual research on this) does make poor countries dependent on aid, but the remedy, at least the way I see it, is surely not boycotting aid. Instead, we need to change the culture of aid (e.g. not using aid as a tool for political influence, longer-term impact-oriented projects, etc) and a discussion as you have here is perhaps a good way to initiate a conversation .

By: Sagun

Sagun — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:18:00 +0000

How about the Nepali people who have been living in the hilly/mountainous region? A majority of them have always lived hard (labor intensive) lives; resources are always scarce and the terrain is brutal….nI agree with the writers point that getting funds when begged for makes us a lazy and an uncreative nation. However, I believe that there are some other major contributing factors that hinder our development; older civilizations carry a burden of “traditionalism”. As much as our rich culture and tradition is a blessing and helps us unite as a country, we as a people have to realize that these same traditions can impose on our development and limit our scope of thinking. Just to name a few examples-blind respect of elders (elders are people just like us and are suseptible to common human flaws like greed); nepotism with almost no regard for merit and scholarship; unable to disagree with each other respectfully, leading us into literal distruction and thwarting any efforts to real progress. The list of problems seems limitless at this point…..however, i believe that the power of positive reporting will provide some much needed inspiration to thrust the younger generation into positive action. nRecently, I have been following a young American High school graduate and her endeavors in Nepalgunj. What impresses me is her focus on utilizing local talent, local resources and creating jobs locally; all the while uplifting a community (by educating the youth).nAs a starting point- we need to kick the beggers to the curb!!nSet out our priorities…I think this should be done on a grassroots level; no so much national level. Just think of the possibilities- the parts of the country that would thrive from tourism entrepreneurship; parts that would thrive on agriculture; parts that would thrive on water resources…we are a resource rich country; we just fail to realize our riches. Once communities realize their economic strengths, they are bound to take pride what is theirs and we will almost be home free!nThis forum to bring out ideas is awesome; how about some type of forum for action as well? Maybe our youth can volunteer, or even learn to hold minimum wage type jobs while pushing forward development; even as an NRN myself, I would love to be able to volunteer my time in some way from afar, or when I am visiting Nepal.

By: Cloudy Sunday

Cloudy Sunday — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 11:22:00 +0000

I agree to his opinion. Let’s risk it to leave this mentality of just spending/taking money without asking for/giving service in return, without a valuable consideration! nThough I’m not involved in the development “industry” here in Germany – I thought about it and read also from the economist Dambisa Moyo. http://www.dambisamoyo.com/deadaid.html nI see some of my european friends here, who work in the Development sector – They’re also having a pretty rich life, travelling a lot, bringing all their western “knowledge” to the so called poor countries. But it’s often rubbish and doesn’t fit. After all, I guess, it’s just keeping the power of the rich. On both sides, as in Europe, USA or in Nepal or anywhere in the world: It’s about respecting peoples’ skills, work, products, ideas and about sharing possibilities, products, services for fair prices.