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> This puts poor states like Portugal into a bad position The only reason Portugal (and Ireland, Spain, Greece, etc) is counted as a "Developed Country" today
by alephnerd 2y ago
> This puts poor states like Portugal into a bad position
The only reason Portugal (and Ireland, Spain, Greece, etc) is counted as a "Developed Country" today is because of the EU.
These countries received the lion's share of EU Development Funds until EU expansion in the 1990s-2000s.
If Portugal didn't join the EU, it would have been similar to Argentina - it's economic peer until EU ascension in 1986
- melenaboija 2y agoSpain is x3 the nominal GDP of Ireland and x6 Greece and the 15th economy in the world and the three together are of the size of Canada. Maybe your comment about what defines a developed country might be overly simplified...
- alephnerd 2y ago> developed country Developmental indicators, nominal GDP per Capita, and median household income. Before Spain, Ireland, Greece, and Portugal ascended into the EU in the 1970s-80s, their developmental indicators largely mirrored those of developing countries from that era (Malaysia, Turkey, Argentina, Iran). It was EU developmental funds that helped these countries not fall into the middle income trap. The only developing countries that were able to escape the middle income trap without EU Development Funds or oil were South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Israel. Also, having a large GDP does not mean a country is developed. China and India have the 2nd and 5th largest GDP in the world, yet their median household incomes are less than that of Thailand, Mexico, or Malaysia - let alone countries defined as developed by the IMF.
- lastdong 2y agoPortugal, like Spain and Argentina, faced significant historical challenges in the 20th century. Portugal's fascist regime, which lasted until 1974, limited investment in infrastructure and economic development. Spain, under Franco's dictatorship, also faced political and economic constraints. Argentina, too, experienced political instability and economic turmoil, particularly during the 1970s military dictatorship. Also were mentioned Malaysia, Turkey, and Iran, which have their own unique historical contexts that I'm not as familiar with.
- alephnerd 2y agoAbsolutely. And that doesn't have anything to do with my point that Spain was a developing country well into the 1990s, and that most of the post-Franco era development was subsidized by EEC and EU Developmental Funds Read this, it's a good overview of the process - https://www.elibrary.imf.org/display/book/9781557753199/ch02.xml https://www.elibrary.imf.org/display/book/9781557753199/ch02...
- shiroiushi 2y agoYep, Spain was a dictatorship until about 50 years ago, well within many people's living memory. Even worse, why is it a democratic nation (sorta--they still have a king after all) now? Because they got tired of living in a dicatorship? No. It's because the dictator got old and died, and I guess they couldn't find a new dictator to replace him. It shouldn't be any surprise that a nation and culture so tolerant of living in a dictatorship isn't exactly leading the world.
- mejutoco 2y agoFranco designated his successor. It was supposed to be the previous king Juan Carlos. He reinstated the monarchy and became king instead. In terms of getting rid of dictators, you also have to realize that since the Spanish civil war (1936-1939) there was a dictatorship until 1975. That is a lot of time to purge any opposition. Your last sentence is uncharitable and overly simplistic.
- johngladtj 2y agoNone of that about Portugal is true.
- alephnerd 2y agoWhat's wrong about that? Salazar absolutely did a massive number on Portugal, with a horrible economic policy, and spending ungodly amounts on colonial wars in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, East Timor, and Goa. Portugal to this day has fairly weak human capital compared to it's peers.