K: Machinery, oil products, motor
vehicles, iron & steel
Imports expensive materials
Exports
J: Transport equip, motor vehicles,
electrical machinery, chemicals
Exports expensive manufactured goods
K: Tea, coffee, fish, cement, flowers
Exports cheap primary goods
Difference between imports & exports- trade balance.
Countries want a surplus so they become richer
Other patterns
Countries trade with neighbours-
Japan's trading partners are US and
Chins
Trade groups often leave poorer countries out
Most trade is between richer countries-
little trade between poor countries
TNC's have their headquarters in rich
countries- very important for world trade
Quotas
Restrict primary goods
Limits quantity of goods that can be
imported
Reducing the gap
Trade
Richer countries control trade
Tariffs
Taxes or customs duties paid on imports.
Used to make imported goods more expensive and less
attractive to buyers than home- produced goods
E.g. Ghana
Exports raw cocoa beans.
Most processing & packaging done in Europe
EU import tariffs higher for
processed cocoa than raw cocoa
beans
in 2007, EU charged 7.7% import tariff on
cocoa powder, 15% on chocolate with cocoa
butter and none on raw cocoa beans
Ghana forced to export raw beans and lose out on extra money
from processing
Seasonal- long periods of poverty
Quotas
Precise limit on quantity of goods that can be
imported. Usually on primary goods.
Work against poorer countries
Trading groups
NAFTA
EU
Countries that have grouped together to increase the amount
they trade between them & the value of their trade
Cut tariffs in place between them- make goods cheaper
Countries not in trading groups lose out
Free- trade
When countries don't discourage or restrict the
movement of goods with tariffs and quotas
Producers in poor countries can join together to
produce goods for fair trade market
World Trade Organisation
Aims to make trade easier and get rid of
anything hindering it
Negotiates trade agreements and settles trade
disputes
Focusing on helping poorer countries by reducing and removing
farm subsidies (grants paid to farmers to encourage them to grow
more
WTO's agreement on Agriculture still allows EU and USA to spend huge
amounts of money on subsidies
Farmers there then produce huge volumes of food which EU and US governments
buy and dump on poor countries as food aid
Reduces price of food actually produced in those countries which
puts livelihoods of local farmers at risk
In long term, is better than aid for helping countries to develop
Creates jobs which provide waged that people
can spend on improving standard of living &
quality of life
Arguments
For
Creates jobs = wages
Quality of life & standard of living increased
More money for education so more people employed
Increased wealth long term
Decreases dependancy on aid
Learn to trade well- increases knowledge
Against
Countries may not have enough goods to trade
Takes long time to generate profit to reinvest & is vulnerable
to fluctations in market
Limitations from lack of resources & skills (work force)
Trade involves investment- poorer countries can't afford
Debt
Many poorer countries are in debt and the sums they owe are huge
1970s: international banks lent large amounts of money to poorer countries to
build expensive infrastructure projects e.g. dams
1980S: interest rates more than doubled. increased amount owed
Many countries couldn't repay debts so unpaid interest added to original loan amounts & loan grew
In return for reorganising debts to make them more manageable, banks expected governments of indebted
countries to cut spending. E.g. Uganda- biggest cuts to healthcare & education (crucial for development)
Trade
Problems with trade & debt
Central America once had 500000km of
rainforest. 80% now gone
Each year 800 km plus is cut down in Honduras
For ranches
For banana plantations
Earn money for debt
For small farms
Used to provide hardwood & traded to repay debt
20% of money Honduras earns from
exports spent on debt
Cancelling
July 2005: ten live 8 concerts held around the world to campaign for
make poverty history & cancel world debt
A few days later, at a meeting of the G8 (world's richest 8 countries), an
agreement was made to cancel all debts owed by 18 Highly Indebted
Poor Countries
Two conditions had to be met before they were cancelled
Government had to show it could manage finances & that it wasnt corrupt
Had to agree to spend debt money on education, healthcare and reducing poverty
27/38 HIPC countries met conditions in 2008- $85 billion cancelled
African countries still owe $300 billion- small chance they can repay
Cancelled $1.5 billion in Uganda
Conservation swaps (debt for nature
swaps)
Country which is owed money by another cancels part of the debt in
exchange for the debtor country's agreement to pay for conservation
activities
Often organised by NGOs like WWF
E.g. Peru
2002 & 2008: Peru and US agreed to a debt swap worth $40 million
P: agreed to conservation activities to preserve 27.5 million acres of endangered rainforest
Provides habitat for many rare species e.g. pink dolphin & jaguar
Aid
When a country receives help from another country or
organisation to help it develop and improve people's lives
What
Money
Gifts
Grants
Loans
People with special skills
Medical
Teachers
Goods
Emergency supplies
tents or food
Equipment
Tractors
Types of
Short term
E.g. after a nat. disaster
Long term
Sustainable long term aid can prevent emergencies from
happening in the first place
E.g. immunisation to eradicate
disease e.g. polio
Tied
Insistence of where the aid is used
Something in return
E.g. Malaysia and UK- a well in
exchange for trade
Donor: country/ organisation
giving the aid
Recipient: country recieving aid
Aid projects can be
organised in two way
Top-down
Decisions about dev. projects made by national governments/
large organisations
Projects are often large- scale across whole country
Often involve large sums of money
Locals usually have no direct involvement in decision making
Workers are external specialists
Bottom-up
Experts work with local communities to identify their needs
Alot of work done by NGOs E.g. FARM africa
Locals have control over improving their lives
Workers are mainly local but there are some external trainers
Arguments
For
Improved standard of living
Could improve relations between countries
Improves health
Jobs could be increased- lower unemployment
Can support countries in accessing their natural resources
After natural disasters it is needed so people don't die etc
Against
May feel like they need to
repay but often cant
Top- down aid- locals don't actually get a say
Corruption can stop aid getting to where it is needed