Welcome to the 3rd world...

Not long ago I attended a meeting where a motivational speaker made an effort to dispel the idea of a 3rd world country. Although I appreciate his efforts or goals, since then, I have been thinking on what that label means or defines, as compared to a 1st World one or a Failed State. 

I believe a 3rd World country is defined by the multiple factors which complement each other and have a big effect on the overall health of the country; they tend to feed on each other, so resolution tends to be very hard (although not impossible):

1. On the economic you have a small middle class, continuously  moving up and down, a huge low income base and high concentration of production or financial means in the hands of a relatively small group. The typical ratio is 90% of the economy is owned by 10% of the population.  
2. Although there is a strong government, the "rule of law" is defined and dependent on the economics means of the individual. In other words corruption is common, if you have the means you may not gat away with crime, but you will be able to obtain or accelerate services from the different public offices. Therefore there is a cynical distrust of the civil institutions.
3. The family is the center of the society. Lacking a social contract and law umbrella, the only place where the individual can find a secure environment is within the family context; political or religious family ties (like god-parents) are equally valued.
4. This last point is related to the need to conform to the group. The idea of belonging and submitting your morality, behavior and needs to the group are far more important than the individual.  This is not true on the middle class in many cases, as I pointed out before they are not the "average" member of society by any means, and still they will most likely submit themselves to the family rule.
5. Due the lack of a real rule of law, the society as a whole has no moral issues with corruption, as long as I can pay the bribe it is seen as acceptable to pay it. The "everybody is doing it" approach, so only a fool will not take advantage of an opportunity offered by bending a law or process.
6. Since the economy is so concentrated, there is low value given in the low income classes to education as a way to move up in the social scale. As soon you can help your family and get working, the family expects you to do so. Within the middle class education is valued, but the small numbers of the group do not create a sufficient momentum to change society as a whole.
7. There is a generalized lack of hope or a cynical view of the future. You live and die where you are. This creates situations where people tend to live in the moment, there is no such thing as the "pursue of happiness", because by the time you reach your goal, either you are dead or the government will devalue the coin taking away all your efforts, therefore live on the present, "joy" is highly regarded. 

As I said before not a single factor by itself drives a country from one level to another, but corruption (the absence of laws) and the failure of the middle class seem to be common starting factors. So, when corruption and accelerated social economic inequality start growing.

When is a 3rd one falling into a "failed state"? 

• When there is no strong central authority with control over most of the territory. You may have a central government with control of an urban area, the return of the "city state", while the rest is divided by economic, political, and/or para-military clans. 
  
• When the family as a source for social order and secure is insufficient and functions no more. 
• In some African countries, the child soldiers armies are the result of the disbanding of the family unit and the lack of a central authority.

On the rule of law, one of my favorites comments is from Michael Mullane, on the "This I Believe" series. You can read it in here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5442573