ABSTRACT
Twelve nations have been chosen which exhibit many of the salient features of the Developing World and its geographical extent. The case studies begin with Fiji because within its small compass a wide range of development issues can be presented and comprehended. Fiji is thus an exemplar. The selection concludes with a consideration of the Far Eastern NICs, the new industrialized countries which have made the transition so many nations aspire to achieve; the manner of their transitions is instructive. Between beginning and end, Nigeria, Zambia, Sri Lanka, China, India, Peru and Brazil are presented. China and India, since they account for the great majority of the peoples of the Developing World, select themselves but each presents examples of significant issues. China has adopted a unique approach to the problems of development and pursued it within the framework of a Marxist command economy. India, which in so many ways invites comparison with China, has chosen a different path. In the case of both India and Sri Lanka the problem of population is emphasized and the difficulties arising from ethnic and religious plurality illustrated. In Africa, the poorest of continents, Nigeria, the largest and potentially the richest country, and Zambia, small and poor, together illustrate the significant importance of regional considerations in development and the difficulty of effectively investing export revenue productively. The distinctive characteristics of South America derive in part from her particular colonial history, a history which came to an end in a political sense long before most other areas were colonized. The two chosen countries illustrate this history and the way in which economic colonization has persisted. Peru is an example of such an extractive economy. Brazil, with the potential for becoming one of the world's major economies, illustrates many of the features characteristic of Latin America and in particular the legacy of cheap land and cheap labour.
