Obstacles to Development

Abstract

Third World nations in general have much difficulty activating their largely stagnant economies and meeting the challenges of feeding, educating, and housing their growing populations. Problems facing the less developed nations are many and multifaceted; some nations face very difficult obstacles that require new visions and sustained efforts to be overcome. Nevertheless, all such nations face problems that emanate primarily from attachment to outdated values, attitudes, and ways of thinking, as well as lack of appreciation for time and work. Many also face challenges emanating from high population growth rates, often high illiteracy rates, ethnic and religious conflict, outdated traditional education systems, and political cor-ruption. The major problems, however, can be grouped under the following headings:

• 1. Colonial legacy;

• 2. Sociocultural heritage;

• 3. Economic structure;

• 4. Sociopolitical structure and organization;

• 5. The political context; and

• 6. Conceptions of time.