Why is the "third world" so poor?

[Bratislav Marinosky]

I would like to write a book in which I address popular hypotheses as to why Third World countries (or people in the Third World) are so poor and can't "develop". I made a list of 23 common ideas (from greedy dictators to unfair patterns of trade).

I would like to have your ideas, to see if I forgot any.

If you can help, that would be great and I shall be forever grateful (or at least for a few hours).

Thanks a lot!

[oldmike]

Why is the Third World Poor?
There are several reasons proposed, and I list some of them below;

Disclaimer:
I do not necessarily subscribe to all or any of these.
1) Because as soon as a country becomes rich it stops being third world.
2) Because the rich nations are especially favoured by ( Insert deity of your choice)
3) Because people in rich countries work harder than those in poor countries.
4) Because people in tropical countries which are usually the poor ones, have lower IQ’s than those in temperate ones. This is because the tropical ancestors never had to think much. Just sat under the trees and let the fruit fall. The ancestors of the temperate populations had to be clever to survive the cold winters. This is best set out in Kipling’s famous poem:
Take up the White Man's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go, bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait, in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.

Take up the White Man's burden--
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain,
To seek another's profit
And work another's gain.

Take up the White Man's burden--
The savage wars of peace--
Fill full the mouth of Famine,
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
(The end for others sought)
Watch sloth and heathen folly
Bring all your hope to nought.

Take up the White Man's burden--
No iron rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper--
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go, make them with your living
And mark them with your dead.

Take up the White Man's burden,
And reap his old reward--
The blame of those ye better
The hate of those ye guard--
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:--
"Why brought ye us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"

Take up the White Man's burden--
Ye dare not stoop to less--
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloak your weariness.
By all ye will or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent sullen peoples
Shall weigh your God and you.

Take up the White Man's burden!
Have done with childish days--
The lightly-proffered laurel,
The easy ungrudged praise:
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers.

The white man gave up his burden with disastrous results for the ex colonies.

5) The evil colonialists removed the sources of wealth from their colonies before they left.
6) Because world trade is controlled by the rich countries which keep the prices of the third world’s products low.
7) Because the rich countries subsidise their own producers so that third world industries cannot compete.
8) Because rich countries poach skilled and clever third world nationals effectively crippling third world economies
9) Third world leaders loot the treasury and then live in luxury while their people starve.
10) Entrenched elitist groups prevent change as they may lose power.