IV. Communicative practice. Situations

1. The scale of government activity has grown steadily over the last century. It now ranges from a third of national income in Japan to two — thirds of national income in Sweden. Suppose you are an owner of a big enterprise. In which country would you be richer? Why? Prove your choice.

2. There are different types of higher education in Russia now: state-owned and private. Which is better? Who should control education in any country? Why? Discuss “pro”s and “contra”s in a dialogue.

3. What might happen if the urban transport such as buses and the underground were not owned and operated by the government? Enlarge upon the situation.

4. You are a Russian actor (actress). Your living standard leaves much to be desired. If you lived in the USA would it be the same, better or worse? Why? What does it depend on? Who supports art in different countries? Why?

5. Imagine you are a heavy smoker. You spend about a dollar a day on cigarettes. You come to the USA and discover that cigarettes are twice as expensive there. Which government works better? Why? You’ve just come home from America. Have a dialogue with your friend.

6. In the USA families with low income are given food stamps to make people have more rational food and thus take care of their health. Such stamps may be used only for buying food. Supermarkets accepting such food stamps are compensated by the government. Is it worthwhile for the government doing this? Why? There are people who are against those food stamps. Who might they be? Comment on the problem.

Russian Experience

1. Think and say:

a) Is Russia rich?

b) What do you know about the living standard in Russia?

2. Read the text and find out if you were right.

3. Make a report “Russia. Past. Present. Future.”

4. Write an essay on the same topic.

Russia Has Dropped Out of the Community of Developed Countries

In April 1998, a human development report for the Russian Federation was presented at the UN. This document, commissioned by the UN Development Program (UNDP) and prepared by independent Russian experts, shows that in terms of the quality of life, Russia has, in effect, dropped out of the group of developed states.

The general trend.

It has long been known that the quality of life is not confined to wealth alone (national or personal). The Global Human Development Report, published by the UNDP in 1990, said this: Human development is the process of increasing the number of options to choose from. In principle, choice can be infinite while its parameters change with time. Yet, at all levels of development, the possibility to live a long and healthy life, to acquire knowledge, and to have access to resources, necessary for a worthy life, are the most essential for man. Without this, many other possibilities remain untapped.

How does present-day Russia come off against this backdrop?

In classifying countries according to the living standards of their population, the UNDP uses the human development index (HDI) which is calculated on the basis of the following three main indicators: life span, the level of education, and the level of income. The verdict for Russia, according to this methodology, is discouraging: The country has effectively fallen out of the group of developed states.

As of the early 1990s, HDI in Russia declined. This stems, above all, from a fall in GDP and also, although to a lesser extent, in life expectancy. The final result could have been far worse, but Russia’s reputation has been salvaged by the education index: It has virtually not changed in recent years. One reason for its stability is the universal literacy among the adult population which the country inherited from the USSR.

Birth and mortality.

Beginning in 1992, Russia’s population has been falling, and even substantial immigration — on average, approximately 500,000 a year — does not compensate for negative natural growth, which in 1996 was 825,000 people. According to forecasts by Russian scientists, Russia will not be able to reach the level of the early 1990s until the year 2010, and even then provided that the current levels of annual net migration are maintained.

The birth rate and life expectancy hit bottom in the mid-1990s: In 1994, life expectancy among men was 57.5 years and among women, 71.2 years. But in 1995, it grew by two years for men and one and a half years for women. According to preliminary estimates, this trend will continue.

Infant mortality also began to diminish as of 1994, reaching a record low for Russia in 1996. Even so this index is still twice as high, while male and female mortality is 1.55 and 1.35 times higher, respectively, than in the United States, which is far from being the world leader in the health conditions of its population.

Health and health care.

According to the most optimistic scenario of the State Committee for Statistics, life expectancy in Russia in the year 2010 will be 69.2 years. Such slow growth is mainly predetermined by the state of the Russian public health system.

The life and health of Russians today are threatened, above all, by tuberculosis, syphilis, AIDS, and mental disorders. As of the early 1990s, the incidence of TB grew 65.7 percent, and that of syphilis, 311 percent (!). The reasons are degradation of the sanitation and technical infrastructure (the sewage, plumbing, and waste disposal system), growing prices of medicines, and the general decline in living standards. Yet the most dangerous among them is the dramatic rise (compared to the second half of the 1980s) in alcohol consumption, the use of drugs, and smoking. The rate of death from alcohol-driven psychoses and cirrhosis of the liver in the first half of the 1990s grew 3.8 times — from 18,200 in 1990 to 68,800 in 1994.

According to the World Health Organization, public health spending should constitute at least 5 to 6 percent of GDP. In Russia, however, according to various estimates, between 2.3 percent and 3.2 percent is spent for these purposes. For comparison: In the United States, public health spending is 13.6 percent of GDP; in Hungary, Poland, Estonia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Ukraine, and Kazalhstan, from 6.9 percent to 4.4 percent of GDP. The contrast in per capita public health spending is even more striking. In the United States, it is approximately $3,000 a year; in Western Europe, approximately $1,500; but in Russia, less than $50.