Student Beat: Issue One

Social Influences on Uganda's Sustainable Development

First of all, the population of the country can bring sustainable development. When a country has many people, they will be a source of labor that will increase the economy of Uganda. For example, people working in farms and industries can get income to increase their standards of living and even the rate of export. An increase in the population can provide security that can be used to defend the country from internal and external attacks like the Uganda People's Defense Force.

However, the population can be a burden to sustainable development when most people are not working and the government has to budget for them, which can bring an imbalance of payment.

Lifestyle can also bring sustainable development in Uganda. A lifestyle is how people live in the society. People can be willing to work very hard in order to live a good life. But lifestyle can also be a deteriorating factor to sustainable development if people are reluctant to work and want only to enjoy leisure--this will lead to capital consumption instead of capital accumulation.

Also there is culture, which is the tradition of the people in the society and country as a whole. If the culture promotes good morals that will create peace and security--for example, if the society condemns theft and there are some punishable offenses--there will be development in the country. Likewise, if certain people are keeping their cultural things like drums and spears, tourists could come to see them and pay some income.

Also the social organization of the people can bring development. When people are socially organized they can be mobilized to do some work like road construction, and the government can even build some schools and hospitals to be used by those people. But if they are not organized putting up of infrastructure by the government can be difficult.

And when people organize themselves socially and form a cooperative society, it could be better for them to get some money for their development.

Also education can bring development in Uganda. Educated people will bring skilled labor to be used in industries and offices and even try, like teachers in schools, to educate others who are ignorant. When people are educated they can export their services outside the country to bring revenue in Uganda, for example, professional doctors.

Also the health of the people will bring development. When people are healthy, it will enable them to do their work more effectively. This can develop Uganda because it can tax them.

Finally the knowing of information technology--whereby people know how to use the modern ways of communication--can also bring sustainable development. For example, people in Western Uganda can hear on the radio that people in Eastern Uganda are keeping poultry and have been given a loan, and thus they will also form their order to benefit from the government.

All in all, Uganda needs to critically handle social, economic and environmental factors that will enable it to develop firmly. (1/98)