How Religions Affect Countries Socially and Politically Essay

How Religions Affect Countries Socially and Politically - Essay Example it can very well be figured out that religion indeed has a far greater impact on the manner in which the country’s political and social environment takes shape. John J. Macionis defined religion as "A social institution involving beliefs and practices based on a conception of the sacred." Therefore, it is bound to have an impact on the manner in which the rulers of a country try to shape their political philosophy, because that what they consider to be good for their country and the people. If we take a look around, we can figure out a number of skirmishes taking place amongst groups, societies and countries. Religion seems to be one of the factors shaping the opinions and the behaviors of the people involved in the conflicts. It is a fact that no religion teaches hatred or intolerance towards other people in the society, but the manner in which the religious teachings are portrayed often impacts the social behavior. If we take a look at the Middle East conflict, we find a dee p divide amongst the followers of the two religions. The Middle East conflict between Israel and its neighbors, on the lines of religious beliefs, goes back to almost a century, but conflict has escalated more during the last over 60 years. The political spectrum in both the territories has been coming out with policies commensurate with their stated positions all this while. Despite efforts from different corners, the conflict is nowhere near to any solution even now. Now, terrorism, the dreaded word, also finds some of its threads attached to this conflict. But the net outcome of such conflict has not favored any particular country or territory. People from both the sides have suffered immensely and the developmental issues have been hit adversely but the irony is, even the newer generation on both the sides doesn't seem to have a say in resolving the conflict amicably. If we take a look at a country like Pakistan, we find that this Islamic nation has been in the news in recent days, for all the wrong reasons. The country has been under tremendous pressure from the Islamic clerics for quite some time now. Though the present regime came into power after a democratic process of elections during the recent past, but it also need to be remembered that Pakistan has had brushes with democracy in the past as well. In the past, there have a number of Military coups, taking over the reins of power in the country. Despite best efforts from some of the rulers of Pakistan, the religious bodies have always tried to dictate terms for framing policies, and it goes without saying that on many occasions such religious bodies have been able to have an upper hand. The recent incidents in Swat valley of Pakistan have raised many concerns about the future of democratic set up in the country. In order to restore peace in the region, the Pakistani government decided to ha nd over this valley, better known as 'Switzerland of Pakistan' to some of the religious heads on 15th of February2. From that day onward Islamic laws have come into force in the region, which implies many significant departures from the erstwhile democratic principles. It is quite apparent that the religion, being practiced by majority of the people in Pakistan had the upper hand in deciding about the future of the Swat valley. America is considered an icon of democracy all over the world. People from many faiths from around the world have made this country as their home. The policies and principles of the government provide full respect to all religions. But, if we are to point out the religion enjoying the best patronage, we'll come to the conclusion that it is indeed the Christianity. During the

Importance of Internal and External Factors to Economic Development Essay

Importance of Internal and External Factors to Economic Development - Essay Example However, the biggest question in the minds of everyone is what has causes varying rates of economic development in a country. What are the reasons that have seen countries such as Japan and China emerge to become among the greatest economies in the world with a record time? Additionally, one would always want to understand whether the involvement of the government in the economic process causes accelerated economic growth or should the government give the private sector autonomy in determining how they conduct their activities. Additionally, countries do not live in vacuum but have to trade with their neighbors and their security may be threatened by the activities of others and therefore they have to keep into consideration the external factors in economic development. From the foregoing introduction, it is clear that one cannot argue entirely that the level of economic development in a country is attributable to only internal or external factors. Although interplay of both internal and external factors determines the path of economic development of a country, internal factors are the greatest determinants economic development of a country. The major internal factors that determine the pace of economic development in a country is the type of governance adopted. ... It is undisputable that the leadership of a country determines the level of economic growth that a country is able to achieve. In a country, governments hold much power and are expected to offer leadership in terms of economic and social developments that take place. Consequently, when a government fails to carry out an analysis of the impacts of its policies, this may spell out the starting point of its failure. The argument that governance really plays a role in determining the pace of economic development in a country is collaborated by Gerschenkron. When assessing economic backwardness in different countries, Gerschenkron argued that there is a strong correlation between economic underdevelopment and centralized bureaucracy in a country. The type of governance adopted determines the way in which the required capital for industrialization is mobilized and allocated. In a country where the government encourages private to public sector investment, the rate of economic development i s expected to become accelerated due to efficiency in resource allocation and monitoring thereby reducing wastage. In such an economy, the government concentrates in development of the right infrastructure required for development while the private sector provides and invests capital required for industrialization. Countries that promote public-private sector partnership in economy leads to development of free markets that have high productivity and efficiency. In countries where free trade thrives, high productivity is achieved since the owners of such resources closely monitor and control the production process unlike in countries where the government controls production. Government control in the production process leads to