Differences Between Countries (Edexcel A Level Geography)

• In international meetings, some countries are vocal on the issue of human rights whilst others prioritise economic development 
• This could lead to human rights’ abuses, such as child labour
• The UK is a world leader in defending human rights and promotes their protection in international forums e.g.
• In 2020, the UK passed a law (The Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020) to allow it to impose sanctions on countries that are abusing the human rights of their citizens
• The UK sanctioned Russia over the war in Ukraine, including the banning of certain Russian imports
• Some countries favour economic development over human rights e.g. Singapore
• Singapore:
• Has one of the world’s highest GDP per capita
• Is one of the most business-friendly economies in the world
• However, the government limits political and civil rights (as freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly and association) through laws
• It still has the death penalty and has one of the world’s highest execution rates per capita

• Superpowers and emerging powers all have different levels of democracy

Top ten superpowers (2022)

• Over time, some superpowers and emerging powers have favoured the democratic system, such as India, over an authoritarian regime e.g. China
• The degree of democratic freedom allowed in each country varies, including free speech and other human rights 
• In a country which has freedom of speech, people can share ideas and information freely, without interference from the government
• In more authoritarian countries, the government censors information, such as limiting people’s ability to criticise the government on social media

The State of Freedom (2017)

• The map of global freedom shows the level of political rights and civil liberties:
• Not free - basic political rights and civil liberties are absent or regularly violated (this accounts for 30% of countries/territories globally)
• Partly free – there are some clear restrictions on political rights and civil liberties
• Free – open political competition is present and a culture of respect for civil liberties

India and China

• India and China are set to become the new global superpowers over the coming decades but their systems of government are very different

A country comparison of an authoritarian and a democratic system

• Levels of corruption vary between countries
• One way corruption can be measured is by using the Global Corruption Index (GCI)
• It measures the state of corruption and white collar crimes around the world, using 42 internationally recognised variables
• The GCI covers 196 countries and territories

Global Corruption Index (2022)

• Countries score on a 0-100 scale
  • 0 corresponds to the lowest risk and 100 to the highest risk of corruption
• 5% of global GDP is spent corruptly - bribing officials or 'lost’ money in governments e.g building lavish homes for politicians
• Political corruption can hinder economic and social development: 
• Limits growth as funds that should be spent on improving healthcare, education or infrastructure are instead funding government officials
• Politicians may exploit their people to remain in power or businesses bribe the government to exploit workers or the environment
• Denying individuals their human rights - some corrupt governments disregard their duties to its citizens, so people may live without essentials e.g. clean water, education or electricity
• Growing inequality between those the government favour (e.g. rich investors, businesses) and the rest of the population