Health, Government, & Economics

Famine, AIDS, and malaria are among Africa’s biggest health problems.

Africa is a large continent with many countries and 800 million people.

It is also the poorest continent in the world.

Africa had many natural resources before European colonization.

Today, however, there is widespread poverty throughout Africa.

Many health problems are caused or made worse by poverty.

Poverty creates poor living conditions, such as lack of clean water or food.

People living in poor conditions often get sick. They may live in crowded areas that are dirty. They may not have doctors or medicine. People living in poverty may not have the

education to know how to stop the spread of disease.

Famine occurs when a region does not have enough food for a long period of time.

People who are starving can die from malnutrition.

Famines are both human-made and natural. Drought, or lack of rain, makes food scarce

because crops die. Human forces, like wars, can also cause food

shortages. People in a region can be without food because

its cost is too high. All of these factors have led to famines in Africa.

Famines in Africa today are the result of poor food distribution and poverty.

There is enough food on Earth for everyone to eat well.

However, many people live where they cannot grow food.

People also live where food cannot be easily transported.

Many famines have taken place in the Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is a large peninsula in the northeast region of the continent.

Famines in this region include the Ethiopian Famine of the mid-1980s, which is estimated to have killed over one million people.

This famine was made worse by high food prices and overpopulation.

Today, Niger, southern Sudan, Somalia, and Zimbabwe are areas with emergency famine status.

Africa’s greatest humanitarian crisis is in Darfur, in western Sudan.

A humanitarian crisis is one in which many human lives are at risk in a region.

Malaria is a tropical disease spread by mosquitoes.

Each year, more than one million people die from malaria.

Children in Sub-Saharan Africa are most at risk of death from the disease.

For instance, malaria is the leading cause of death in children under five in Uganda.

There is no vaccine against malaria. However, there are ways to reduce the spread of

the disease. Insecticides and mosquito nets can drastically

lower the number of infections. Anti-malaria drugs can also help, but they are

very expensive

Unfortunately, many of the regions where the risk of malaria is highest are also poor.

People in these areas cannot afford to buy mosquito nets or insecticides to kill mosquitoes.

According to the World Health Organization, malaria is a disease that is caused by poverty, and it’s a disease that also can lead to poverty.

The spread of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) due to infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the most severe health crisis in the world.

It is considered a pandemic, a widespread epidemic. HIV/AIDS attacks and destroys the body’s power to fight

illness. HIV/AIDS is spread through bodily fluids. Africa has the highest rates of HIV infection is the world. Seventeen million people have died from AIDS on the

continent. Over two-thirds of all HIV infections in the world are in Africa. One-third of all AIDS deaths in the world in 2005 occurred in

Africa.

AIDS/HIV is a major threat to the people of Africa. The spread of AIDS lowers the life expectancy of

entire populations. Life expectancy is a measure of how long people

expect to live. Over 12 million African children have been

orphaned by AIDS. There are drugs that slow down the progress of

HIV infection to AIDS. However, there is no cure for AIDS. Education and prevention are the most important

tools for fighting AIDS. Africa needs more money to pay for education

and prevention programs.

Heath issues in Africa are made worse by unstable politics.

In turn, unstable politics contribute to poverty. High death rates due to health crises weaken economies.

In this way, the issues of heath, economics, and politics are intertwined.

A nation’s type of government refers to how that state’s executive, legislative, and judicial organs are organized. All nations need some sort of government to avoid anarchy. Democratic governments are those that permit the nation’s citizens to manage their government either directly or through elected representatives. This is opposed to authoritarianauthoritarian governments

that limit or prohibit the direct participation of its citizens.

Two of the most popular types of democratic governments are the presidential and parliamentary systems.

The office of President characterizes the presidential system. The President is both the chief executive and the head of state. The President is unique in that he or she is elected independently of the legislature. The powers invested in the President are usually balanced against those vested in the legislature. (balance of powersbalance of powers)In the American presidential system, the legislature must debate and pass various bills. The President has the power to vetoveto the bill, preventing its adoption. However, the legislature may overrideoverride the President’s veto if they can muster enough votes. The American President’s broadest powers rest in foreign affairs. The President has the right to deploy the military in most situations, but does not have the right to officially declare war.

In parliamentary governments the head of state and the chief executive are two

separate offices. Many times the head of state functions in a primarily ceremonial role, while the

chief executive is the head of the nation’s legislature. The most striking difference between presidential and parliamentary systems is in the election of the chief executive. In parliament systems, the chief executive is not chosen by the people but by the legislature. Typically the majority party in the parliament chooses the chief executive, known as the Prime Minister. However, in some parliaments there are so many parties represented that none hold a majority. Parliament members must decide among themselves whom to elect as Prime Minister.

Most European nations follow the parliamentary system of government. Britain is the most well known parliamentary system. Because Great Britain was once a pure monarchy, the function of the head of state was given to the royal family, while the role of chief executive was established with Parliament. Israel is a parliamentary system with a president. The president, however, does not hold the same power as a president in a presidential system, but functions as the head of state. In both presidential and parliamentary systems, the chief executive can be removed from office by the legislature. Parliamentary systems use a ‘vote of no vote of no

confidenceconfidence’ where a majority of parliament members vote to remove the Prime Minister

from office. A new election is then called. In presidential systems, a similar process is used

where legislators vote to impeachimpeach the President from office.

FederalismFederalism is a system of shared power between two or more governments with authority over the same people and geographical area. (example is the US with government power going to the central government and the states) Unitary systems Unitary systems of government, by far the most common form around the world, have only one source of power, the central or national government. Although democracy can flourish under either system, the differences between the two types of governments are real and significant. Great Britain, for example, has a unitary government. Its Parliament has ultimate authority over all things that occur within the United Kingdom. Even if it delegates power over local matters, Parliament can require its towns or counties to do whatever it deems appropriate; it can even abolish them or change their boundaries if it chooses to do so.

In the United States, the situation is quite different. Laws of the national government, located in Washington, D.C., apply to any individual who lives within the national boundaries, while laws in each of the 50 states apply to residents of those states alone. Under the U.S. ConstitutionU.S. Constitution, Congress does not have the power to abolish a state nor can a state assume a power intended for the national government alone. Under American federalism, in fact, the U. S. Constitution is the source of authority for both national and state governments. This document, in turn, reflects the will of the American people, the ultimate power in a democracy.

In a federal nation, the central government has defined powers, with full sovereignty over external affairs. The exercise of authority in domestic affairs is more complicated. Under the Constitution, the U. S. government has exclusive power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, coin money, provide for the naturalization of immigrants, and maintain an army or navy, among other things. The United States guarantees to every state a republican form of government, thus ensuring that no state can create, say, a monarchy. These areas are ones in which national interests clearly supersede state interests and are properly reserved for the national government. The national government also has judicial authority to resolve controversies between two or more states and between the citizens of different states.

In other areas of domestic policy, however, the central and state governments may have parallel or overlapping interests or needs. Here, power may be exercised simultaneously by both state and national governments; chief among these concurrent powers is the power to tax. And in areas where the Constitution is silent regarding national authority, states may act provided they do not conflict with powers the central government may legally exercise. On large and important subjects that affect citizens in their daily lives -- education, crime and

punishment, health and safety -- the Constitution fails to

assign direct responsibility.

Power is distributed completely opposite of a unitary government in a confederate confederate government. Local governments protect and preserve their own authority by forming a weak central government. The United States has briefly employed confederate systems of government, in the Articles of Confederation, whose weaknesses led to the current federal system, and in the southern states’ attempts to form the Confederate

States of America

AutocracyAutocracy is a form of government where unlimited power is held by a single individual. An emperor may rise to power due to hereditary

lines, but is referred to as an autocrat rather than a monarch when his power overshadows his bloodline.

It is a type of government historically found in the Eastern world; in the West a primary example is that of Russia, where the

sovereign assumed, as a title, Autocrat of all the Russians.

The term can also refer to a country that is ruled in this manner.

In comparison, an oligarchyoligarchy is a form of government where power is held by multiple

people (yet still a small segment of society).

Autocracy is a type of government in which the power of the ruler is not checked by any other instance. There is usually a form of constitution, but the ruler stands above it. The period of 1917 to 1950 saw an unexpected multitude of nations taking the road to an autocratic government. FascismFascism and CommunismCommunism were just two of its most extreme forms. Some European nations took the road to autocracy before the Second World War. Even in the democracies there were movements to solve the problems of uncertain times, economical crisis and political turmoil with following a person that promised strength and leadership. END SEC. 1

Totalitarian

Governments

A government in which no limits are imposed on the ruler’s or ruling parties authority.

Rulers’ or ruling Parties have total power.

DictatorshipOne-person rule. Ruler has total control.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

1. People may be united in their loyalty to a dictator since there is no competition for trust and affection.

2. In an emergency, a dictator can move quickly to take action. No time is lost in debate or discussion.

1. People are afforded little or no individual liberty. Civil rights are trampled on.

2. A dictator’s policies suit his/her own needs. Needs of the people may be neglected.

3. Decision making has a narrow base - can be flawed, wrong, dangerous, and not fully supported by the people.

Absolute MonarchyOne-person rule. King or Queen has total control. Often thought as a divine right to rule that is passed from

generation to generation. ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

1. People may be united in their loyalty to a monarch since there is no competition for trust and affection.

2. In an emergency, a monarch can move quickly to take action. No time is lost in debate or discussion.

1. People are often given no individual liberties or civil rights.

2. A monarch’s policies suit his/her own needs. Needs of the people may be neglected.

3. Decision making has a narrow base - can be flawed, wrong, dangerous. No one was willing to tell the emperor what they think of his new clothes…

Democracy

A government in which everyone, including those in authority, must obey the laws.

Direct DemocracyGovernment in which all citizens have equal power in decision making.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

1. Every citizen has equal power in matters of government. Every citizen is involved in the decision making.

2. Since all citizens are involved in decision making, there is a broad base of support and loyalty.

3. Individual liberties are protected.

1. Only works when a small number of people are involved. Ability to gather all citizens in one place is necessary.

2. Decision making involving all citizens is time-consuming. All citizens give in-put, debate, etc...

REPUBLIC/Representative DemocracyGovernment in which people elect representatives who hold the decision making power.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

1. Citizens are involved in decision making through their representatives, lobbying, and voting.

2. Representatives are aware their job depends on meeting the needs of their

constituents.3. More likely that all elements of the

population are represented.

4. Generally, reps are educated and more-capable citizens who can devote time needed to solve complex problems.

1. Decision making is time consuming. Desire of representatives to please everyone may cripple system.

2. Representatives may not always agree with those they represent.

3. Lack of involved citizenry may allow special interest groups to influence or dominate representatives.

Constitutional MonarchyA government with a written plan, or constitution, that includes a monarch as a ceremonial leader and a parliament or other legislature to make the laws.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

1. Citizens are involved in decision making through their representatives, lobbying, and voting.2. Representatives are aware their job depends on meeting the needs of their constituents.

3. More likely that all elements of the population are represented.

4. Monarch has almost celebrity status with the people. Are not held responsible for unpopular decisions, yet can help form public opinion

1. Decision making is time consuming. Desire of representatives to please everyone may cripple system.

2. Representatives may not always agree with those they represent.

3. Lack of involved citizenry may allow special interest groups to influence or dominate representatives.

a theory advocating elimination of private property.

 a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed.

Typically a one party system in which all political power rest with the party (i.e. China).

TheocracyA form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler. Often religious institutional representatives (i.e.: a church), replaces or is mixed into the civilian government. Can be an Oligarchy, Representative Democracy, and even a Monarchy.

OligarchyForm of government in which the power is in the hands of a few persons or small group (who have the combined power of a dictator.)

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES1. Decisions can be made relatively quickly. 2. May provide expert leadership while avoiding the danger of one-person rule.

3. In theory, they are the most educated members of society.

4. Members of the oligarchy listen to each other - they work together to rule.

Same as Dictatorship

(Needs and wants of the people are not necessarily considered.)

END SEC. 2

Modern governments in Africa differ from one another.

The governments of Morocco, Kenya, Libya, Sudan, and South Africa all share common traits, but operate much differently from one another.

Since many modern African governments directly replaced colonial rule and borders do not necessarily follow tribal and ethnic lines, there is much competition for resources.

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy. A constitutional monarchy is one in which the head

of state is a king or queen and in which the supreme law of the land is written down in a constitution.

Morocco’s monarch must be male, according to the constitution.

He is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Morocco.

The monarch appoints a prime minister and cabinet. He also has limited power over decisions of the

legislature.

Morocco’s constitutional monarchy has aspects that are similar to a representative democracy.

In a representative democracy, the people elect representatives that act on their behalf in government.

The Moroccan legislature consists of the House of Representative and the House of Advisors.

Representatives are elected through popular elections for five-year terms.

Advisors are elected by various social organizations, and 30 seats are reserved for women.

In 1963, Kenya declared its independence from England. Kenya is a republic with a popularly elected president. A republic is similar to a representative democracy,

because the people in a republic vote from their representatives.

Until 1991, Kenya had only one political party, by law. In 1992, Kenya held its first presidential election that

included more than one candidate running for office. The executive branch, which included the office of

president, is the strongest branch of Kenyan government. The president serves a five-year term with a two –term

limit and acts as head of state and head of government.

Kenya’s legislature, or parliament, is a one-chamber body called the National Assembly, or Bunge.

The president must approve any law passed by the National Assembly.

Citizens of Kenya elect the majority of members of the National Assembly.

Other members are appointed. All Kenyan citizens 18 or older are able to

vote for the president and members of the National Assembly.

The government of Libya is a Jamahiriya, or “state of the masses.”

The government’s structure is based on the political theory of Muammar al-Qaddafi.

Qaddafi came to power in a 1969 military coup and is recognized as the head of state of Libya.

According to Qaddafi, the government’s power rests with the legislature.

The legislature of Libya is known as the General People’s Congress, or GPC.

However, Qaddafi retains power and influence over the government.

Because of this, the government can be considered a military dictatorship.

Members of the GPC are elected by local government, or Basic People’s Congresses.

South Africa is made up of nine provinces.

The constitution of South Africa was ratified in 1996.

The constitution splits power between the executive and legislative branch and contains a bill of rights for all South Africans.

The legislative branch of South Africa has tow houses, the national Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.

The president is elected for a five-year term by the majority party in the National Assembly.

Sudan has been ruled by a military dictatorship since Lt. Gen. Omar Bashir took over in a coup in 1989.

The military rules under Sharia Law. In July 2008, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the

prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, formally charged Bashir with genocide for planning and executing the decimation of Darfur's three main ethnic tribes: the Fur, the Masalit, and the Zaghawa.

Africa is the most politically unstable continent in the world.

Limited natural resources, ethnic differences, and weak governments cause much conflict.

Four key factors fuel conflicts and civil wars in Africa One is the fact that many African nations are poor. The more poverty exists in a country, the more

citizens are dissatisfied. Widespread unhappiness leads to political instability. Secondly, Africa’s population continues to grow at a

rapid rate.

Population growth stretches Africa’s scarce economic resources even thinner, creating more discontent.

Third, Africa’s dependence on precious natural resources makes control of these resources a key to power and survival.

Such conditions often erupt into violence and bloodshed. Finally, Africa is home to many different ethnic groups. Often referred to as “tribes,” Africans of different background

and cultures found themselves grouped together as a result of colonization.

Today, these groups often mistrust one another and end up fighting as they try to co-exist within independent African nations.

Civil wars destroy land, homes, crops, and lives.

Often, they involve ethnic fighting between tribes with long-standing rivalries.

Refugees wind up homeless, starving and contributing to the overpopulation of neighboring countries.

In short, not only do civil wars contribute ti political instability, they also keep Africa locked in poverty.

For example, one of the more serious armed conflicts in the region is the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

There are 200 ethnic groups with distinct languages there.

These groups are often engaged in wars with one another.

A war involving nine African nations raged from 1998 to 2002 in the DRC.

Sparked by the fall of the state of Zaire and Mobuto Sese Seko, fighters waged war for control of the country’s rich supplies of minerals, diamonds, and timber.

The war directly affected the lives of 50 million Congolese.

Almost four million people died in the DRC, mostly due to starvation and disease as a result of the conflict.

Millions have become displaced within the country. In 2002, a truce was declared, but many armed

groups have not yet disarmed. This fact means that future conflict is possible. In the eastern part of DRC, armed groups funded

by the neighboring country of Uganda were violent until 2004.

An economic system is what a country uses to sort out the sharing and control of resources.

Different systems provide different answers for questions like: what is produced, who should produce it, and who gets what is produced.

A traditional economy is an economic system based on traditions, routines, and beliefs.

Often, a traditional product is made and sole or traded at open markets.

The benefit is that the people in the system are closely involved in its operation.

Different roles in a traditional economy are passed down through family members. This system is still used today by some tribes in Africa.

A command economy is a system based on central control of trade and production.

A government decided what goods and services are given to its people.

It may even limit what jobs people can hold. Egypt is moving away from a command economy

and toward a market economy. However, the Egyptian government still has some

control over financial decisions in the economy. Pure command economies are now found only in

politically isolated countries such as Cuba and North Korea.

A market economy is a system that is managed by the people.

It is also known as a free market system, or capitalism.

Market economies are based on supply and demand.

Businesses control how much they produce, and people control how much they consume.

A balance between what businesses want to produce and what people want to consume is the hallmark of a market economy (supply and demand).

An entrepreneur is a person who takes the risk of organizing and running a new business.

Entrepreneurs are a common feature of market economies.

Their work is important to an economy’s growth.

They are often leaders that create a good or service no one else has.

This works creates a new market and helps the economy.

A mixed economy is based on a mixture of state and private ownership and control.

Few nations have pure economic systems. Many countries have a mix of command

and market economies. There is a range in trade and industry

freedoms in these countries. South Africa and Nigeria are examples of

countries with mixed economies.

Human capital is the value of people’s work.

A skilled worker is valuable to businesses and the nation.

Providing education, training, and healthcare to a worker is an investment in human capital.

Investing in human capital is important to financial growth.

For example, machines on a farm must be maintained.

They need things like fuel and regular repair.

Providing training, education, and medicine to workers is just as important.

It helps the business make money if its workers are skilled and healthy.

Any goods that are used to produce other goods are capital goods.

Buying things that help a business to make money is investing in capital goods.

Capital goods include machinery or even factories.

When a country is poor, unstable, or tourbled by disease, investment in capital slows.

South Africa is a growing economy, but its growth has been slowed by the AIDS pandemic.

About 13% of South Africans are HIV positive.

As South Africans spend money to maintain their health, less money is available for business investment.

Kenya had a boost in investment after it gained independence.

Since then, however, government corruption has slowed economic growth.

People from other countries are less likely to invest in a region when they cannot guarantee that corruption will not result in lousing money they have invested.

The natural resources of a country can affect economic growth.

A country’s economy benefits from trade with other countries.

With a resource as valuable as oil, Nigeria has focused on developing resources instead of other, such as farms.

This decision has left many Nigerian farmers poor.

Climate is another natural feature that can affect an economy.

Drought is a common problem in African countries.

The economy of Chad, for instance, is based on farming.

A whole year’s harvest there may be ruined by dry weather.

This fact leaves Chad’s financial system weak because a simple change in weather can affect its whole economy.

Africa is a continent with many different physical features, such as the Sahara Desert and rain forest.

These natural traits may prevent trade with other countries.

A trade barrier is anything that makes trade more difficult.

The Sahara and the rainforest are cases of natural trade barriers.

Moving goods across these areas is difficult.

Egypt and West Africa are wealthy regions of Africa.

Egypt has been a hub for trade for tens of thousands of years.

West African countries have access to the ocean. South of the Sahara, the thick forest and desert

make trade difficult. Nature isolates central and southern Africa. Not until the introduction of the camel to the

region in the 10th century did crossing safely through the desert become possible.

From the 8th century to the 16th century, routes across the desert to the Mediterranean countries were a major source of trade for Africans.

This trans-Saharan trade was characterized by the exchange of gold for slat.

When Europeans began trading with Africa, trans-Saharan trade dropped.

Europeans began to use water routes for trade, which was easier.

Some trans-Saharan trade still goes on today. Water routes are now the main source of trade in

the region.

Trade routes like the Incense Route and the King’s Highway connected the regions of present-day Iran and Iraq to places in northern Africa.

Egypt was vital to the spice trade because it is in North Africa, close to the Middle East.

The busy Mediterranean seaport of Alexandria is also in Egypt.

This aided trade with the Mediterranean region.

Arab nations built a trade route along Africa’s eastern coast.

Ivory and slaves were then carried across the Indian Ocean from Africa to Asia.

There was a high demand for trade between Asia and Africa in the 1950’s.

Trade increased between the two regions because World War II hurt Europe and Asia’s economies.

Raw materials from Africa were in high demand. Asia still imports many goods from Africa today.

Africa is a continent rich in minerals. Diamonds in South Africa and oil in

Nigeria are just a few of the rich natural resources.

The rainforest may have made trade difficult in the past, but now it is a source of income.

West Africa now exports lumber harvested from the rainforest.

Every country has a different kind of currency, or monetary system.

Some examples of African money are the Egyptian pound, the South African rand, the Nigerian naira, and Chad’s franc.

An exchange rate is the price that one country’s currency has compared to another country’s currency.

For example, one US dollar is worth over one hundred Nigerian naira.

Without an exchange rate, global trade would be impossible to conduct.

Exchange rates change daily. The changes are based on factors like

government stability and the strength of a country’s market.