The Dark Side of Global Economics: Sacrificing the Innocent

Shtyllas, Albania’s Desperate Plea for Attention

There are always winners and losers. Global economies are unfortunately no different. Hundreds of miles away from the nearest paved roadway, isolated towns like Shtyllas, Albania sit unattended by the government. Despite accounting for over 22% of the farmland used to produce Albania’s crops and vegetation, the townspeople live below the poverty line, earning merely half of the minimum $387 monthly wage in Albania. The townspeople’s cries for support given their hard work in harsh and isolated conditions, are often avoided by government officials as their economy dwindles. As a result, many families are left to struggle, living paycheck to paycheck to afford their place of residence and provide for their children.

Economic Neglect: Shtyllas’ Dire Plight

Shtyllas is only one of the thousands of third-world communities silenced by the scale of global economics every year. Across the globe, an overwhelming majority of 6.8 billion families live in third-world communities. Despite the growing number of families displaced by their economy, “winners” continue to emerge, but at what cost?

Profits at the Expense of the Vulnerable

This year, the United States GDP grew by 6.7%, a 1.7 trillion dollar increase resulting in further economic growth for the U.S. and its citizens. Over 216,000 new jobs were added to the U.S. economy to sustain growth since the COVID-19 pandemic. In a comparative analysis of third-world countries, the International Monetary Fund averaged fiscal deficits growing to over 3.6% while inflation increased to 3% simultaneously. These results are staggering given the importance third-world countries play in global economics. Third-world countries were responsible for over 80% of produce production globally, yet yielded 19 billion dollars in sales while traditionally high-income countries yielded double at roughly 39 billion dollars. These results suggest one crucial discrepancy in global economics.

Winner’s Win. Losers Lose.

Economic Injustice in Agriculture

Despite being responsible for the majority of produce in the globe, farmers in third-world countries earn substantially less, thus resulting in the decline of their quality of life. In Latin America and Asia, the average annual wage stood at only $3,700 while the U.S. had an annual average of roughly $40,000. While it can be argued that the cost of living is higher in the U.S., many third-world countries are underrepresented in the global market while their citizen’s quality of life declines. For example, while a wage of $20,000 a year is sustainable in a third-world country, global economic superpowers continue to trade below wholesale price and take advantage of farmers. This economic disparity only grows as U.S. global companies buy out land in third-world countries and sell for additional profit while their constituents struggle to survive.

Taken in a larger context, this suggests that jobs in third-world communities continue to yield less profit while large-scale businesses and economies only grow when reselling these products for a higher price. Unfortunately, this results in dramatic economic impacts as third-world countries are constantly lowballed during global trade. Hence this results in further economic growth for global superpowers while third-world countries are continuously taken advantage of.

Developed Nations Feeding on Economic Despair

As a result, corruption and crime continue to rise in third-world countries, resulting in further economic decline. The disparity between third-world countries and developed countries has only grown, as developed nations account for 70% of the global GDP. Corruption results in further economic disparity as politicians commonly sell out their goods and citizens to make a quick profit and deteriorate their country’s economic status. Once again this is an example of the “winner’s win, losers lose” idea as developed countries only turn for a quicker profit and take advantage of global corruption.

Consequences of Global Economic Exploitation

However, it’s important to note that this idea also results in fewer opportunities for children and a rise in crime. Globally, the average crime index has reached an average of 76.8 while the U.S. has a crime index of 49.3. Therefore, it can be argued that developed nations continue to take advantage of third-world countries and deteriorate their citizen’s quality of life. This puts citizens into a continuous spiral of crime and limits the opportunity for a career. This puts global power in the hands of developed countries. Put simply, developed countries continue to thrive while third-world countries are left to rot despite their continuous output.

Unfortunately, the situation in Shtyllas is indicative of the impact of global economics. Despite their citizen’s hard work in the fields and being forced to walk miles to school every day, the needs of citizens are ignored by a corrupt government while their economic status is dire. The situation in Shtyllas can be replicated throughout the world while global superpowers continue to thrive. If countries continue to disregard third-world countries for their economic output, then disparities will only grow as citizens will be forced to leave their homes and livelihoods.

Demanding Change and Unity

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Through continued alliances, there is potential room for improvement for both third-world countries and global superpowers. NATO is a perfect example as 31 countries, both economically powerful and small work together to support each other in times of war. While this example is only indicative of a militaristic standpoint, it demonstrates that countries can work together to support one another and their economies. For the world to succeed, it must come together. Until political leaders recognize the importance of the millions of third-world communities, global economics will continue to suffer.