Standard of living

By standard of living we mean the degree or extent to which we satisfy our needs or wants. In the olden days, the basic needs were food, shelter and clothing. Today, all countries of West Africa have passed that level. Wants are now satisfied beyond these three basic needs. For example, our basic wants are now better satisfied. The foods we eat are now richer and in greater variety. Most families now eat bread and eggs and drink tea or coffee as breakfast. In the past, these would have been found in only very few houses in West Africa. The clothes we wear are more fanciful, more elaborate and elegant, and the houses we live in are far more superior and more comfortable than those enjoyed by our grandfathers. But in addition to all these, we now enjoy more luxury than our forefathers did. We now have wireless radio and coloured television sets, video and cassette recorders. We can cover a great deal of distance in a very short time by air. Also today, better education and medical facilities are now making it possible to live well and longer. We now also enjoy a faster means of communication or sending messages. We have the telephone, the Internet and the global system of mobile communication. All these, put together, determine the standard of living. So when we say that a country is poor, we are saying that the standard of living in that country, compared with the standard of living in some other countries, is low. Our knowledge about the standard of living in other countries is now better. Not only is it now comparatively easier to travel, but advancement in the publishing industry has made it possible and easier to read books about other countries.
The economics of West Africa is concerned with the nature and causes, that is the determinants of the standard of living in West African countries. Economics is concerned with explanation and discussion, with analysis and not with mere description. It answers questions beginning with "why" rather than "how". It does not answer in the form of "what should be done about it? Rather, it discusses the probable effects of doing this or doing that and thereby helps people to form their own opinion.

Comments

Why kids run away

Why Kids Run Away Remember how you felt the last time you got in a big fight with your parents or one of your brothers or sisters? That kind of anger and hurt can be what pushes someone to run away from home.These are problems faced by lots of kids and teens — and there are ways to deal with all of these problems besides running away. Kids who think about running away might not know how to solve tough problems or don't have adults to help them. Sometimes a really big problem can make it seem like running away is the only choice. Unfortunately, the problems kids hope to escape by running away are replaced by other — sometimes even bigger — problems of life on the streets. When you think about running away, you probably imagine that there will be no more rules, no parent to tell you what to do, no more fights. Sounds great and exciting, right? In reality, running away is anything but fun. Kids and teens who run away face new problems like not having any money, food to eat, a s...

THE RIVER CROSSING.

It is no military secret that an opposed river crossing operation is difficult even under ideal conditions. But without adequate standard equipment and with a poor level of training of soldiers and officers, it could become impossible. But the Army Headquarters and Supreme Headquarters had strongly advised against embarking on an opposed river crossing because of inadequacy of equipment and deficiency in the training of troops for such a semi-specialist operation. The Supreme Headquarters had advised on unopposed crossing while the division passed through 1 Division's secure position to capture the town. The Division commander decided to take a grave and calculated risk that could be called bravado. But if the operation had been successful, as it nearly was, it would have been one of the most praiseworthy operations of the entire war. In the end, it failed and the commander had to take the blame for it. The first landing, in which the Division Commander himself took part,...

HERNIA

Hernia occurs in an individual when part of the intestine pushes through the wall of the abdomen and appears as a bulge at the site. There are many sites where hernia can occur, although the commonly encountered type is that found in the groin. This type of hernia is known as femoral or inguinal hernia. Hernia may occur on the navel or near it. The hernia which occurs on the navel is called umbilical hernia, while that which occurs close to it is known as paraumbilical hernia. These two types of hernia are less common than the femoral type. Groin hernia occurs more commonly in males, but can also occur in females in a few cases. In this kind of hernia, there is a weakness in the abdominal wall in the groin region about midway across the groin. It may appear on either side or, sometimes on both sides. A good sign is that swelling increases, initially it can be pushed back manually into the body. Later on, it gets bigger still and lies almost permanently outside the body, especi...

Newsflashtalk.com Lifestyle, learning, health and food.

Search This Blog