The Economic Struggles of Landlocked Countries

If a country is landlocked, it is likely to be poor. In fact, most countries that lack coastal access are among the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and their inhabitants occupy the â€Å"bottom billion† tier of the worlds population in terms of poverty.* Outside Europe, there is not a single successful, highly developed, landlocked country when measured with the  Human Development Index  (HDI), and most of the countries with the lowest HDI scores are landlocked. Export Costs Are High The  United Nations  has an Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States. The UN-OHRLLS holds the view that high transport costs due to distance and terrain detract from landlocked countries’ competitive edge for exports.   Landlocked countries that do attempt to participate in the global economy must contend with the administrative burden of transporting goods through neighboring countries or must pursue costly alternatives to shipping, such as air-freight. The Wealthiest Landlocked Countries However, despite the challenges that most landlocked countries face, a few of the world’s wealthiest countries, when measured by GDP per capita (PPP), happen to be landlocked, including: Luxembourg ($92,400)Liechtenstein ($89,400)Switzerland ($55,200)San Marino ($55,000)Austria ($45,000)Andorra ($37,000) Strong and Stable Neighbors There are several factors that have contributed to the success of these landlocked countries. First, they are simply more geographically fortunate than most other landlocked countries by virtue of being located in Europe, where no country is very far from a coast. Furthermore, the coastal neighbors of these wealthy countries enjoy strong economies, political stability, internal peace, reliable infrastructure and friendly relations across their borders. Luxembourg, for example, is well-connected to the rest of Europe by roads, railways, and airlines and can count on being able to export goods and labor through Belgium, the Netherlands, and France almost effortlessly. In contrast, Ethiopia’s nearest coasts are across borders with Somalia and Eritrea, which are usually beset with political turmoil, internal conflict, and poor infrastructure. The political boundaries that separate countries from coasts are not as meaningful in Europe as they are in the developing world. Small Countries Europe’s landlocked powerhouses also benefit from being smaller countries with longer legacies of independence. Nearly all of the landlocked countries of Africa, Asia, and South America were at one time colonized by European powers that were attracted to their vast size and plentiful natural resources. Even when they gained independence, most landlocked economies remained dependent on natural resource exports. Tiny countries like Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and Andorra do not have the option of relying on natural resource exports, so they have invested heavily in their financial, technology, and service sectors. To remain competitive in these sectors, wealthy landlocked countries invest heavily in the education of their populations and enact policies that encourage business. International companies like eBay and Skype maintain European headquarters in Luxembourg because of its low taxes and friendly business climate. Poor landlocked countries, on the other hand, have been known to invest very little into education, sometimes in order to protect authoritarian governments, and they are plagued by corruption that keeps their populations poor and bereft of public services – all of which precludes international investment. Helping Landlocked Countries While it may appear that geography has condemned many landlocked countries to poverty, efforts have been made to soften the limitations posed by a lack of sea-access through policy and international cooperation. In 2003, the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries on Transit Transport Cooperation was held in  Almaty, Kazakhstan. Participants designed a Program of Action, recommending that landlocked countries and their neighbors, Reduce customs processes and fees to minimize costs and transport delaysImprove infrastructure with respect to existing preferences of local transport modes, with a focus of roads in Africa and rail in South AsiaImplement preferences for landlocked countries’ commodities to boost their competitiveness in the international marketEstablish relationships between donor countries with landlocked and transit countries for technical, financial, and policy improvements Were these plans to succeed, politically-stable, landlocked countries could feasibly overcome their geographical barriers, as Europe’s landlocked countries have done. * Paudel. 2005, p. 2.

Sleep Is A Periods Of Reduced Activity - 948 Words

Introduction: We spend about eight hours of the day asleep and spend almost one third of our time on earth asleep! So exactly what is sleep? Sleep is a period of reduced activity. During sleep the body changes internally and externally. It rejuvenates and restores the body, and it follows a predictable pattern consisting of infiltrating Non-REM and REM sleep. Review of Research: Sleep is usually a time where the body is at a lying down position with the eyes shut. The outcome of sleeping is when the body’s receptivity to external stimuli is diminished (The Characteristics of Sleep, n.d.). Generally people define sleep as an inactive part of our daily lives but, we now know that the brain remains active during sleep (What is Sleep?, n.d.). Sleep consists of two main stages of sleep; Non-REM (NREM) and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. Non-REM sleep consists of three stages each stage that you infiltrate is deeper. N1 or the transition to sleep, lasts from five minutes up to ten minutes and without difficulty you are awakened (e.g., Smith, Robinson, Segal, n.d.). Jerky movements or muscle twitches occur during this stage as well. During stage N2, you are already in light sleep. This stage generally lasts from ten to twenty-five minutes. All the while, heart rate and body temperatures decrease, and eye movement stops. Lastly, at stage N3 it is very hard to be roused and blood flow is not heading to your brain but, towards the muscles of the body (e.g., Smith et al., n.d.).Show MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Sleep And Stress On Children1170 Words   |  5 Pagescan easily be observed when evaluating the lives of teenage students: sleep and stress. Insufficient sleep regularly leads to an excess of stress while, similarly, and excess of stress can lead to insufficient sleep. The two seemingly interwoven occurrences have both been proven to effect both physical and mental health negatively. The American Psychological Association reports, from studies done in 2013, that â€Å"teens who sleep fewer than eight hours per school night, many say their stress level hasRead MoreOn the Function and Evolution of Sleep1544 Words   |  7 PagesOn the Function and Evolution of Sleep If physiologists devoted the most research time to behaviors humans engaged in the most, we would probably have a full understanding of the biological purpose of sleep. After all, humans, with the exception of most college students, spend one third of their lives in a somnolent state. Despite its fundamental role in human and animal life, sleep is, even in an age when neuroscience has reduced many behaviors to neurological mechanisms, still quite mysteriousRead MoreThe Effect Of Sleep Deprivation On Seizure1220 Words   |  5 PagesA study on the effect of sleep deprivation on seizure in epilepsy disorder and its relation to signaling bathways in the brain People with seizure disorder usually have problems with their sleep. Daytime sleepiness, lack of energy and drowsiness are frequently seen in epileptic patients. Baseline electrical activity has been vastly studied in epilepsy. Seizures can be either partial or generalized. Based on the area of the brain triggered by epileptic waves, any kind of motor or sensory abnormalitiesRead MoreHuman Capital Is An Important Resource For Organizations Essay1537 Words   |  7 Pages(2005) sleep is a recurring period in human activity that is defined as a state of immobility with greatly reduced responsiveness, which can be distinguished from coma or anesthesia by its rapid reversibility (Barnes, Jiang Lepak, 2016). Borbely and Achermann (1999) noted that a major process that underlies sleep regulation is the circadian process, a clocklike mechanism that is basically independent of prior sleep and waking and determines the alternation of periods with high and low sleep propensityRead MoreThe Th eory, The Energy Conservation Theory1419 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: what is sleep: Sleeping is something that most creatures of the animal kingdom have in common. A period of time where the body seemingly ceases to function. The average human is supposed to sleep 7-8 hours a day, and although this varies from species to species, the core function stays the same.The dictionary definition of sleep is â€Å"the natural state of rest during which your eyes are closed and you become unconscious†.(Sleep, n.d.) Although it seems like nothing is happening whenRead MoreImportance of Sleep Essay788 Words   |  4 PagesImportance of Sleep It has been proposed, by some, that humans do not really need to sleep, and that we do so only out of habit. However, much research would suggest otherwise. It is true that some individuals (e.g. those suffering from insomnia) are able to live on very small amounts of sleep, but nevertheless, they do need some. Studies of sleep deprivation have found that there may be severe consequences of not sleeping at. Randy Gardner, for example, went withoutRead MoreThe Effects Of Sleep On The Human Body And Mind Requires A Regulated Sleep And Wake Cycle1729 Words   |  7 Pagesmind require a regulated sleep and wake pattern in order to naturally restore homeostasis and provide healthier functioning in regards to it’s physical, emotional, cognitive, and somatic response to it’s environment. Chronic disruptions in this sleep pattern have been found to affect 10% to 18% of the general American population, while it has been found to affect 50%-80% of the American psychiatric population. The most common mental illnesses that suffer from chronic sleep/wake disruptions includeRead MoreHow Sleep Plays a Role in Regulating Body Temperature and Metabolic Rates in Primates850 Words   |  3 PagesThis study aims at identifying if and how sleep plays a role in regulating body temperature and metabolic-rate in primates. Further, a hibernating primate, the lemuriform Cheirogaleus medius(Fat-tailed dwarf lemur) in specific, will be examined because hibernation has a direct correlation with hypothermia and reduced metabolic-rate. This primate was used because it is known to experience lengthy periods of hibernation and lives in a temperate climate of Madagascar. It is hypothesized that hibernationRead MoreThe Effect Of Sleep For Procedural Formation Of Memory And Subsequent Consolidation1432 Words   |  6 Pageson the effect of sleep for procedural formation of memory and subsequent consolidation. The choice of procedural memory is based upon the large amount of conflicting prior research with boundless amounts of evidence for both effects of sleep in memory formations and explanations for the varying effects during stages of sleep. Sleep is composed of many different stages, with each having variable impacts on memory formation. Deprivation in some sleep stages, even during small sleep stage time windowsRead MoreThe Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Children1427 Words   |  6 Pagesalcohol or substances and people suffering from sleep deprivation. Effects of fatigue are thought to play a part in between 16% and 60% of road accidents and in the United states were estimated to cost in vicinity of $50 billion. This essay will argue just how dangerous driving under the influence of sleep deprivation really is. This essays argument will be supported by two major papers the first one is â€Å"Impairment of Driving Performance Caused by Sleep Deprivation or Alcohol: A Comparative Study† which

Essay on Family History The Dominican Republic Essay Example For Students

Essay on Family History : The Dominican Republic Essay Family HistoryShe is a 22 year old female, she comes from a Hispanic background. Both of her parents are Dominican, they were both born in the Dominican Republic. Her mother migrated to the United States at the age of 12. She later on got married in the Dominican Republic. In 1994 her father migrated to the United States to be with her mother and her. She is the oldest of three, she has a younger brother who is 18 years old and a little sister who is 11 years old. She was born in the United States, but spent some time in the Dominican Republic with her grandmother. Her grandmother passed away in 2012 from colon cancer, it was one of the hardest things that the family has ever dealt with. The person who took it the hardest was her grandfather, he started drinking more than he has drank before which caused him to suffer several brain seizures. The seizures caused him to lose his memory and he was unable to walk and eat on his own. Aside from the brain seizures later on the family discovered that he was diagnosed with leukemia. She is very close with her mother’s side of the family She does not really have a close relationship with her father’s side. They never showed much interest into being a part of her or her siblings lives.Medical HistoryShe does not show any physical symptoms, nor has she ever been on medication. She did have anemia once in her life, there are certain illnesses that run in her family such as cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. For now she shows a sign of good health.Social SupportShe is very family oriented, her family is always there when she needs them. She has a small circle of friends from high school that she still keeps in contact with and there are also friends that she has made in college he. .forming to the rules and regulations set out to her. She tends to be an underachiever, but she is highly motivated to achieve in particular settings that offer her flexibility. She prefers to work in an environment where she is able to do some independent thinking and where she is able to define her personal goals. She feels comfortable and confident when dealing with intellectual and conceptual matters, she is verbally fluent and likes to think ahead. Thinking ahead allows her to successfully complete tasks when asked. She over thinks a lot of the times causing her to make rash decisions. She looks at how things can affect her in either a positive or negative way, whether it may sometimes stop her from doing certain things she likes to look ahead. Thinking ahead allows her to plan ahead and have an idea of what she needs to do in order to have a successful outcome.