Laura's Development Theory

Disclaimer: Pretend I am writing for The Onion, and don’t get too offended.

As an International Studies and Environmental Studies major, I spent a lot of time throughout college studying the “development theory”, in other words, studying why some countries remain underdeveloped while others are able to continue developing and become front-runners in the international system. After over a month in a developing country I have come to believe that the staple theory i.e. the prevalence of a high concentration of natural resources in developing countries, the subsequent colonization of these countries and the lingering postcolonial legacies inhibiting countries’ development, is a bunch of over-intellectualized crud.

My theory: it is just too darn hot to think in these countries, let alone develop. The majority of developing countries are in the south, which is why when talking underdeveloped vs. developed the north vs. south dichotomy is often introduced. It is generally hotter in the south, and many developing countries are situated along the equator. So while developed countries are blessed with ice, snowstorms, and frigid below zero temperatures, developing countries are plagued with blistering sun and humid air (recently one of the técnicos said, “We are in a desert with trees”, as we are suffering a major drought and it is unseasonably hot here). You want the developing world to discuss the implementation of democratically elected leaders who did not buy their seat and won’t plague the country with corruption? Nonsense, it is just too hot to think about that. Instead, I think I’ll go take a nice cold shower, but only if the water is working, which is a slim possibility, as it is also too hot to figure out how to do road construction without turning off all the water in the entire city from 9-5 daily for the past three weeks.

So there you have it, international studies students the world over can stop studying the ridiculous theories of development and embrace the most likely theory: It is hot as hell in the developing world, and no one can think straight in hell.