What is a third world country?

[erasure]

Originally Posted by cebuan

They come from families that have enjoyed education and literacy inherited from the Soviets for a couple of generations -- a part of the intellectual "infrastructure". Surely you'll agree that the infrastructure in Kyrgyzstan and Moldove are a great deal better than most countries with comparable PPP such as Zambia and Cote d'Ivoire. As is the pool of trained technicians.

I was talking about the Eastern European countries actually, that were Soviet satellites, but you seem to be pointing at former Soviet Republics.

Well... what can I say in this case...
Yes, Russians were taking infrastructure and education seriously across the line; i.e. they were working on both not only in Russia proper, but in other republics, whose level of development was much lower.

This is an old archive movie (from 1935) from (then ) capital of Kazakhstan, Alma-Ata that attests to it.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmEvjRnDOUs


So yes, I guess Russians did their job and the infrastructure in those places is better than in Zambia and Cote D'Ivoire.

However I don't see most of these republic prospering, after the break-up of the Soviet Union...

Quite very vague elusive mysterious paradox. Ironically, some or a lot of the best luxury hotels are honestly found in some of these hidden corners that wind up corresponding to just enough of a treasure. Especially along the exact affordability factor.

This version of entrepreneurialism is probably able to occur just because of a highly supportive extremely low cost of living. Yet magically still doesn't reach true rationality to final conclusive results outside of ephemeral rather temporary start ups enacting of foundation. Some of the top hotels I ever am occupying is in Morocco(Fes, Casablanca), and in Bulgarian coastline.

There are tons of examples out there that might comprise really exceptional luxury hotels that are technically abundant in the middle of India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Belarus, Indonesia, etcetera or at least able to display opposing conditions to people that is polar opposite of "third world" troubles. Potentially, absolutely anyone is within logical bounds of entering paradise at the right angle.

[mountainannie]

I lived for years in the Dominican Republic which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.A not so small island- about the size of Vt and NH combined - with a combined population of over 20 million. In development terms the DR would probably rank as 2.5 - in that most people HAD running water even though it was not potable. There was electricity even though it often went out. The country was almost self-sufficient in food production (exporting some/importing others). There were advanced roads and highways, hydroelectric dams, etc.. But also what can be termed "crushing" poverty. Thirty years of a brutal dictatorship, governmental corruption, mediocre education system controlled by the Catholic Church (Not saying that ALL Catholic education is bad - just that it was bad in the DR). Cross the border into Haiti one descends into the 4th world - with no public infrastructure at all.

It is hard to judge any nation by the average income or the architecture. For me, the more important factors of development are things like running water, indoor plumbing, food sufficiency, available electric grid... stuff like that.

Also - the GINI index of income inequality gives a deeper sense of how life is for the residents of that country. Life is good everywhere for those at the top. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ncome_equality