Zasuwa 1 Bart Zasuwa Geography 101 - D Prof: Lillian Fleming Due: July 19, 2011

Every geographical region of the world is unique in its own aspects. Nevertheless, while they are unique they also share many similar characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to present, compare and contrast the economic and social development of the European region and the Southeast Asia. From my reading I came to the conclusion that Europe and Southeast Asia are overall very similar in the aspects of economic and social development. While being entirely different geographical locations, having entirely different cultures and while being a part of entirely different geopolitical frameworks, these two regions managed through harsh times, coming out a little wiser and a little more developed. I was born Poland, but my mother brought me here at an early age. I dont remember much from Poland or from Europe, even though Ive been in Germany, Russia, and the Ukraine on multiple occasions when I was still a child. That, for the most part was the reason why I chose Europe as my topic. I wanted to possibly re-live what little memories I still have hidden away of a time long ago. The other region I chose was Southeast Asia, but I came to this conclusion only after much deliberation. My original choice was the Caribbean, since it is a subject I am more knowledgeable about. I have been to Jamaica once, and I had studied the cultures and the development of the Caribbean people. I consider myself to be a curious individual, therefore Ive decided to take this opportunity and actually learn something entirely new.

Zasuwa 2 The economic and social development theme encompasses many of the aspects and issues that can be seen in a society. Economic developments are usually positive aspects in most societies. They increase the overall prosperity of the region and the individuals living in it. If the prosperity of the land increases it could be assumed that social improvements also increase. Such social improvements include advances in the school system, health care, labor practices and the education system. While many areas of the world advance both socially and economically, many fall behind. Such uneven distribution of power is visible in the core-periphery model. This model illustrates how United States, Canada, Western Europe and Japan make up the global economic core. This global economic core is, for the most part, visible in the northern hemisphere, while the southern hemisphere is made up of more economically impoverished areas. The economic growth is a major component of development, thanks to which we can see the value and the financial standing of a country. Another element of development can be seen in the quality and the condition of human life. The quality and condition of human life in specific areas of the world can be reflected in mortality rates. Under age 5 mortality for example measures the number of children that die per 1,000 persons. This information can be used to determine the social conditions of a given region. It can also signify the food availability, health services, and public sanitation. Another way of judging the quality and condition of human life is by determining the adult literacy rate, which demonstrate how invested a country is in its educational system. Other information can also be acquired from the adult literacy rate. For example, gender discrimination is visible in many aspects of the world. The low literacy rate of women often represents the social and cultural inequalities within a region or a country.

Zasuwa 3 I would like to use the ideas seen in the economic and social development theme to compare and contrast the European region with that of Southeast Asia. To begin I would like to focus on Europe, explaining its economic and social history and aspects. Around the year 1945, the Soviets gained strong control over the Eastern Europe where they created a centrally controlled command economy. However in 1990 this centralized system collapsed and left the Eastern European countries in economic and social chaos. Trying to escape their problems, the countries of Eastern Europe redirected their economies away from Russia and started trying to be more like the prosperous Western Europe. This meant abandoning the socialist-based economy of the Soviets and becoming a new capitalist economy which revolved around private ownership and free markets. This transition resulted in creating many highly differentiated patters of rich and poor regions. Nevertheless, the Western Europe was successful at blending national economies to its benefit, resulting in an economic boom of the region. Not only did the countries of Western Europe significantly improve their economy, but they also achieved an exceptional level of social development measured by worker benefits, health services, literacy, education and gender equality. Unlike Europe the region of Southeast Asia is mostly made up of islands which in themselves create large economic inequalities in the countries of this region. Similar to the highly differentiated patters of rich and poor areas in Europe, the region of Southeast Asia is made up of some of the worlds poorest countries, as well as numerous counties with a high economic standing. Similar to the economic inequality of this region the social development was also just as uneven. Fifty years ago the Philippines was one of the most highly developed

Zasuwa 4 countries in Southeast Asia. The educational system of this country was the best in the whole region and the country was about to step into a rapid industrialization. However by the late 1960s the economic and social development was halted. The rapidly growing population of the Philippines resulted in declining living conditions for most of the poor and middle class people. The growing population however wasnt the only thing that halted the economic and social development. The other thing that aided in stopping the economic and social development of the Philippines was the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. In Eastern Europe, the Soviets created a command economy for their own self-interest. In the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos instituted a kind of crony capitalism which he selfishly governed the country by giving his friends huge economic favors, while others who he thought of as enemies had their properties taken away. The Soviets left Eastern Europe in economic and social chaos. Similarly, Ferdinand Marcos, after being replaced, left the economy of the Philippines in a corrupt and extremely unstable state. After the difficult economic times in Europe, the European countries as a whole managed to push themselves in the right direction towards economic and social development. In a similar fashion, the region of Southeast Asia as a whole has undergone a prompt integration into the global economy. This integration allowed for significant economic and social development to occur in some of the countries of Southeast Asia. The whole region of Southeast Asia however suffered massive environmental degradation and growing social inequality. Europe and Southeast Asia are two different regions, in two different areas on the world. In Europe, many of the countries are land-locked, and Southeast Asia is made up of many

Zasuwa 5 islands. The countries of Europe found some common ground on which they stared the European Union. Now the countries work together as equals trying to accomplish their mutual goals. The countries of the Southeast Asia however are more independent on themselves. That is what I believe causes many of the economic and social inequalities between countries. In the end, Ive found that there are many more similarities between these two regions then I even expected.

The European Union