okay everyone,
the economic theory of development ( check it out in my December Post i dunno how to link it here) is just a theory, not all theories can and are applied.
I believe people should have as many kids as they want as long as they can provide them with good chances and opportunitiest and resources to become good successful citizens and live a good life.
There's no way to enforce that except by educating people, you can't exactly force anyone!
More Educated people understand that concept, and have a bit of a long term view of things, uneducated people usually have many kids without looking at the consequences.
Of course we cannot generalize, but this would be the norm here in Egypt.
So if you educate people, then you got yourself a way to develop economically.
Look at this cenario:
Amm Mohamed El Bawaab ( Mr. Mohamed the doorman) is a man that cannot read or write, he has 2 kids and sends them to a public school, they both finish elementary school then work, therefore they can get jobs that are a bit better than a bawaab (doorman) their kids will go to school and stop after secondary school,( they can do even better than their parents) then they can get their kids all through high school, then their kids go to public college, and the next generation goes to a private school then a public uni and finally the generation after - goes to the AUC!
takes a long time when u start from the bottom but you get there at the end ! and you could jump a step or two.
but if the bawaab has 7 kids he wont be able to afford getting them to a school, and you have a whole new generation of Bawaabs!
so now do you see my point?!!!
3 comments:
It's a good theory, but I doubt it would apply to either sides of my family. It's not only the opportunities provided to you but also the opportunities you create for yourself.
The poor think of it in a different way. They know their lives will not improve tremendously over the coming decades, and they will only grow older and weaker. The huge number of children to them is social security. As children tend to go other places and do other things, it is more likely that one or two will stay behind to support the parents if there are so many of them. Besides, some children work and help supporting the family, while others go to school and higher up the scale.
You are very right when you said the process take generations. There is a very interesting book about this very subject by Galal Amin. The link is to the English one. The Arabic is twelve times cheaper.
Dear Luli,
today I was part of a panel discussion on the future of democracy in the Middle East. I very much think that you have a good theory but today I got doubts about the ability of the intellectual elite to get the Middle East out of the time warp. One Egyptian student studying in Harvard International Relations (and supported by a bunch of Arab students from other great universities) telling me that what the middle east and in particular Egypt needs is not Mubarak but nor a democracy but rather a caliphat ruling under Sharia law like in the 12th century. When a panelist asked what he would advise as punishment for an adulterous woman, the sharp guy suggested that if witnessed by 4 men she should duly be stoned as it is the Middle Eastern girl who is more able to control her sexuality than the women in the West. Hence there are no adulterous women nor any gay man.
I think I am going to investigate the caliphate idea for now and would appreciate any explanations, disadvantages, advantages of a caliphate in the Middle East on my blogg. - please post!
One more comment: I think it is the woman who primarily needs to be educated to accelerate an all educated society.
Post a Comment