Research Writing Anthem

In Anthem Equality observes that “At forty, [men] are worn out. . . . [and] are sent to the Home of the Useless, where the Old Ones live. . . . The Old Ones know that they are soon to die. When a miracle happens and some live to be forty-five, they are the Ancient Ones, and children stare at them when passing by . . .” (p. 28). According to the World Health Organization’s ranking of 191 countries, (www.who.int) there is a huge discrepancy in the average life expectancy of various nations; it ranges from a high of 74.5 years in Japan to a low of 25.9 years in Sierra Leone. Why does life expectancy vary so greatly around the world? What are the main factors that determine life expectancy in a given country?

Select several countries with high, medium and low average life expectancy, and briefly research their political systems. Consider the following questions:

• How are their leaders chosen?

• Do citizens enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of mobility and of religion? Do they have the right to life, liberty and ownership of private property?

• To what extent does the government control and regulate the economy?

• Is the primacy of rule of law acknowledged?

Write a paper on your findings concerning the causal impact that a country’s political system has on the life expectancy of its citizens.

There is an enormous gap between the country with the highest life expectancy and the country with the lowest. Japan, with an overall life expectancy of 82.6 years, has the highest. At the same time Swaziland has the lowest with an overall of 39.6 years (List of Countries… Pages 4 and 11). Access to clean water, notorious food, a good education, access to a medical system all have a big part in the life expectancy of a country. How often or how common a disease is can also affect the life expectancy especially if the country doesn’t have a way to cure the disease. In Anthem there weren’t any social problems or wars. We don’t really know about the economy.

At 81.7 years as the life expectancy of the country, Switzerland has the fourth highest overall life expectancy (List of Countries… Page 4). With a shortage of raw materials and restricted agricultural production, Switzerland was forced to advance their economy built on the change of imported raw materials into high-added-value finished products primarily designed for exportation. The economy is greatly specialized and supported on global trade (Countries and Their Culture- Switzerland Page 12). Switzerland is safe, with a low rate of homicide. The most common crimes are infractions of the traffic code, infractions of drug laws, and theft. The people respect the court because a large number of the population lives in communities where informal social control is powerful. Switzerland is a neutral country so the army is purely defensive (Countries and Their Culture- Switzerland Page 12).

Russia’s life expectancy is 65.5 years. They are ranked 137^th out of 195 countries (List of Countries… Page 9). The Soviet command economy provided a secure living standard for the entire population. Production systems were highly developed, technologically specialized, and spread strategically throughout the country. Almost all consumer and industrial products were produced within the nation or in the Soviet bloc countries, but that all collapsed when the state support stopped in 1991. This caused many factories to be sold off. Some sectors, like food processing and distribution industries, are slowly returning. The chronic shortages led many people to produce for themselves. The current poverty has increased the importance of this practice, with a significant portion of the population partially dependent on their own produce (Countries and Their Culture- Russia Page 13).  Theft is a common crime. The economic and society liberalization in the late 1980s arranged the stage for a burst of illegal activity. Mafia-organized contract killings have become common in the cities, and thousands of political leaders, businesspeople, and journalists have been murdered. Because law enforcement is weak and efforts to reduce its influence have been ineffective. Weak legislation, a judiciary that is underfunded, overwhelmed by cases, and plagued by corruption and overcrowded jails has created a society whose regulatory mechanisms cannot deal with the current conditions. Most people see no point in appealing to the law for assistance or protection (Countries and Their Culture- Russia Pages 13 &14).  Russia has been involved in many wars like World War II, the Korean War, and the Great War.

            Malawi, with an overall life expectancy of 48.3 years, is ranked 180^th (List of Countries… Page 10). Now that the value of the kwacha has gone down in the last decade, Malawi’s economy has gone downhill. They now rely on crops supplied by the Western nations (Countries and Their Culture- Malawi Page 1). The most serious crime is robbery, which generally occurs in the major cities and in tourist areas, although murder is not unknown. The police are conspicuous by their lack of weapons and vehicles. Local justice often is meted out on the spot. If a criminal is caught by local residents, he often is taken to the police station and beaten on the way while those around him sing and mock him. These beatings have caused death on occasion. Malawi’s military is a total of around ten thousand. The army is by far the largest branch; the air force is small, and the navy is practically nonexistent (Countries and Their Cultures- Malawi Page 15).

The amount of income a country has plays a really big part in determining the country’s life expectancy because countries with higher income can afford safe drinking water and nutritious food. The amount of notorious resources a country has makes it so they don’t have to buy from others, instead other countries with be buying the resources from them which means that country will have a bigger income.

Works Citied

"Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Russia. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Russia.html>.

"Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Switzerland. JRank.org, 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Switzerland.html>.

"DEPweb: Life Expectancy, Print Version." DEPweb: Life Expectancy, Print Version. DEPweb, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.worldbank.org/depweb/english/modules/social/life/print.html>.

"List of Countries by Life Expectancy." Enagic.com. United Nations, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.