1.
Which East Asian countries have the lowest percentage of people living below the
poverty level? What factors described in this chapter might account for the relatively
higher or lower success in this area?
In China the levels are the lowest. In my opinion, it is due to the fact that country is quite
developed, many industries exist in it, lots of companies operate there. Thus, there is a
chance to get employment. Another thing is the availability of the country to help their
citizens (also by having socialist governance).
Contribution of the factors of production relative to the technology. I believe that increased
use of labor and capital may explain all growth; at the same time growth also lies in the use
of more efficient technology.
2. What is the proportion of seats held by women in these countries’ national
parliaments? What cultural and historical factors might account for these relatively
low proportions?
In Korea it is 16.3%, in China 24.9%, in Mongolia 17.3% and no data provided for Taiwan.
For a long time in those countries the main social structure was patriarchal: main were men,
all was governed by them. Therefore, it is almost impossible from that extreme situation to
change really fast to the one, when women can govern too. It is mainly because of the
historical-cultural background of the region.
3. Maternal mortality rates per 1,000 live births are indicators of the quality of women’s
health care. Which East Asian counties have the lowest rates, and what are the
implications of having a lower rate of infant mortality?
Among the chosen countries, the lowest rate we can see in South Korea – 11. The child
survival hypothesis states that if child mortality is reduced, then eventually fertility
reduction follows, with the net effect of lower growth of population. In populations living
under low socioeconomic conditions, other factors have also been observed. Therefore, we
can understand that Korea is a quite developed country, but where the birth rates are not
very high, as well as maternal mortality rates. Thus, two factors are interconnected.
4. Tuberculosis is one of the world’s deadliest diseases, and its prevalence rate (per
100,000 people) in a population is one indicator of overall health and quality of
health care. Which East Asian countries have higher rates of tuberculosis?
Among the chosen countries, the highest rates has Mongolia, being almost 8 times higher
than others. It is quite expectable, as the country is not that developed yet to be curing
higher amount of ill people. Therefore, that is why those rates are much higher.
5. Examine the rates of telephone lines, cellular subscriptions, and e-commerce. Which
counties are the most tech savvy? What factors, apart from overall economic
development, might influence the rates of each of these three measures of
“connectivity”?
Among chosen ones, it is obvious that the most tech savvy countries are China and South
Korea. The digital economy in Asia is expected to grow further, providing opportunities to
bolster economic growth, build business, create jobs, and address socioeconomic
challenges. To estimate the macroeconomic benefits of increased usage of digital
technology, a scenario that leads to a 20% increase from the baseline by 2025 is analyzed.
This scenario represents the digital transformation that has occurred during the coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) outbreak as evident from the shift to work from home, online
education, tele-health, e-commerce, and reliance on digital media. The digital
transformation scenario is implemented by increasing investment in the digital sector which
in turn contributes to higher output of sectors that use digital inputs more intensively and
raises the overall productivity in the economy.
In Asian countries social factors play an important role. The brightest example in this case
would be Japan, as communication tendencies are becoming more and more digitalized and
therefore need more ways of doing it.
