Public Debt and Endogenous Growth Book

The short version first.

The nature of the world's countries and their interactions is one of the reasons I wanted to study history. It was always clear to me that I was interested in this subject area. After all, I am sure that there were not too many of my friends who put up country maps of Vietnam in the 1960's. Despite American military involvement, we conscripted a large number of the soldiers who were my age. Many, including several of my family members, served during the war. While I worked on my college education, I was enjoying the delay that was on my draft card. Still, I also tried to get into the Air Force ROTC program at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. The Vietnam conflict lasted nearly as long as the more recent conflicts we have seen in areas of the Middle East. The only difference is that the troops serving today volunteered for their tours of duty.

Before our large-scale involvement overseas in the latter half of the 20th Century, [Barbara Ward|79342] researched and penned the words in [The Rich Nations and the Poor Nations|1888297]. [Ms. Ward|79342] was married to Sir Robert Jackson, allowing her to use the honorific of Baroness Jackson. She studied economics at Oxford. [Mrs. Ward|79342]wrote for several periodicals as well as being the author of several books. Her work with combating poverty was one of her best claims to fame, and she devoted a substantial amount of her work on alleviating poverty worldwide. She passed away 1981 at the age of 77. The above information obtained from the websites for Goodreads and Britannica.

In [Ms. Ward|79342]'s [The Rich Nations and the Poor Nations|1888297], she suggests that there are four "revolutions" that occurred in "rich" nations as opposed to "poor" nations throughout history. These revolutionary changes were especially apparent during the rise of the nation-states bordering the Atlantic Ocean, especially the northern half of that ocean.The changing events focused on four broad areas: ideas of progress and equality among all humanity; ideas of progress bringing material change making a better world; ideas of population proliferation; and, ideas of changes with science and saving or capital investment in all of life's economic processes. These four broad questions over arched everything else about a nation being either a "rich" one or a "poor" one. [Ms. Ward|79342] uses the remainder of her text focused on how these revolutionary changes affected the stronger of the world's economies and appeared to border upon the same North Atlantic Ocean.

In contrast, the "poor" nations had challenges in several key areas. Specifically, they were economically impoverished, with small per capita incomes and very low economic surplus to strategically invest in making their country stronger and more financially viable. The second area of challenge focused on devoting the resources to improving the world immediately around the countryside itself. Investment close to home yields more immediate impact on a better outlook on life as well as a more substantial amount of capital to invest in additional improvements both at home and at work. The third revolution of equality for all humanity challenged millennia old ways of culture and heritage. Making changes in society with all being equal, somehow could not be reconciled with tribal traditions of rights, seniority, and individuality as it described in the ability to choose one's course in life, and once picked, adhered to until the death of the one so opting. The final revolution of the use of savings and capital investment to bring new life into the economy was unheard of in developing nations. They had no savings, no extra capital lying around the hut, and no prospect of hitting it rich, scientifically or any other way.

Another way to look at these social issues would be to look upon the grail of Lenin and Marx following their Communist "blueprint." The idea of collectives and enforced saving or investment made many things appear rosy on the outside as well as on the surface. But inside, deep down in the souls of individuals, these ideas of collectives and forced saving provided the next generation of hobnailed boots on one's throat. [Ms. Ward|79342] sees the Communist blueprint as one way to resolve the various revolutions into one overarching framework. Its failure comes when the revolution and its aftermath make rebuilding more important than a "forced" saving plan or capital improvement endowment. Collective revolution does not make merry bedfellows with the enforced savings and capital wasting of savings from peasants going into more and better armaments. While it has some redeeming values, it is still too rigid and dogmatic to make it a pragmatic way of bringing about the best of all worlds.

[Ms. Ward|79342] next looks at the economic and political ramifications that development will portend for any developing nation, and even so,e rich ones. Planned saving or specific levels of wealth conservation are part and parcel of these plans, while the political aspects must be worked out by the countries themselves. Outside attempts to enforce a set of blueprints on a developing nation never works. It has to come from within by people who what to better their society.

The bottom line is that the nations which are richer need to provide what poorer countries need to better themselves and to do the right things for their people. Without a systematic process developed by the people directly involved in its implementation, any idea without local acceptance and determined drive to make it work will fail as it drops into place. Local grassroots people must have a way to state agreement or change as needed in anything that comes to them. It must be made locally or not at all, regardless of what the "it" is.

It is clear that there are differences between "rich" countries and "poor" ones, The development of any country from "poor" to "rich" is directly related to the investment of time, energy, and resources to improving the developing country. It must be a political desire, a local effort, and a local commitment to investing in itself. The "rich" became so by sacrifice, hard work, and realizing that all humanity is made equal. Accepting these elements, the citizens of any country can move from "poor" to " rich" given enough time, dedicated hard work, and serious investment to build up equality, development, and the best of all things for all its people.

[Ms. Ward|79342] finished [The Rich Nations and the Poor Nations|1888297] with her concerns about nuclear proliferation and the temptation for countries to try to use the acquisition of those types of weapons as a lousy idea for the development of any nation. An undeveloped state must understand that nuclear proliferation is not the way to become "rich" or developed. The same holds true today as it did back in the 1960's when [The Rich Nations and the Poor Nations|1888297] was initially. Printed.

Recommendations . . .

[The Rich Nations and the Poor Nations|1888297] was recommended reading even 14 years after its original publication date. The reason it was considered necessary was the fact that it was precisely spot on regarding developing countries and the many ways that development could be enhanced to make a nation-state prosperous and a world leader. [Ms. Ward|79342]'s words are still valuable and worthy of our attention today. High recommendation for anyone interested in political, social, economic, and national reforms and becoming a fully developed member of the world of nations in which we all live.
I am delighted I listened to Dr. Lynn. He was spot on with his assessment as well, and he was one fantastic historian and professor. I consider myself one of the fortunate to have had the honor to learn history from one of its master storytellers.



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