Every Man for Himself is an editorial published on September 28, 2017, in a popular daily Philippine newspaper, “Business Mirror.” This research revealed the influence of developed countries on third-world economies. It is a case study that examines a specific theoretical model of the development of the third world countries after gaining independence to determine a strategy of an international collaboration. The main question the author raises is whether the West deliberately suppresses developing nations. The purpose of this paper is to provide a research critique of the article Every Man for Himself in order to assess its value.
Methodology
To analyze this work, it is important to determine the methods the author applied to select and collect data. The author discusses a specific group of countries that were colonized and became independent after the Second World War. Hence, the purposive sampling method was chosen. In this article, the writer reviews historical, political, and economic facts and describes connections between them. Therefore, the observational method was employed to collect data. Some other works on that matter adopted similar techniques. In the article Scrap the conventional model of the third world “development,” the author describes the economic development of the third world countries and their relationships with the developed world (Trainer, 2016). He observes the geopolitical and foreign economic interests of the international community. Another article, named If You Shouldn’t Call It The Third World, What Should you Call It?, discusses developing nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (“If you,” 2015).
The observation method used in these articles allows demonstrating the big picture and shedding light upon major historical facts and correlations among the third world countries. Applying this method, the author of Every Man for Himself describes the main reasons for the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, attempts to find solutions to political and economic problems in the Philippines, and conflicts between China and the USA (“Everyman,” 2017). Also, observation gives the opportunity to enhance the validity of the text. The writer chooses facts that fit the narrative, trying to address the main question of the research. However, there are some disadvantages to this method. It provides only a general idea on specific subjects relating to the topic without a thorough analysis of causes and consequences. The author mentions the economic crisis in the USA in the 2000s (“Everyman,” 2017). However, the observation of this event lacks specific facts and shows only one side. As that crisis is a complex phenomenon, the observation method cannot fully cover it. Hence, it is necessary to apply a combination of methods. In this case, the limitation of this method is crucial as the author failed to completely answer the main question of the research. Also, it is worth mentioning that the author abides by the main principles of tri-council ethics, such as respect for human dignity and balancing harms and benefits.
However, this research reveals a certain correlation between Western and third world countries. For example, the author says that many developing countries refused to accept Western guidance (“Everyman,” 2017). It led to most problems they encountered subsequently. However, it might be explained differently. These countries simply do not have as many valuable resources as necessary for growth and prosperity. The writer generalizes the findings to create a narrative that simplifies multisided issues.
Conclusion
Although this is a well-written work organized in a logical manner with clear presentation and development of the author’s ideas, it has several drawbacks. This study lacks the completeness of the description of certain events. Also, it focuses on only one part of the problem. However, despite generalization and missing important information, this article is valuable as it raises a serious question and gives way to further discussion. This study contributes to broadening the vision on the issue of relationships between developed Western and third world countries. Hence, the findings presented in this work might be applied in other researches in this field to make them more comprehensive and detailed.
References
Every man for himself [Editorial]. (2017). Business Mirror.
If you shouldn’t call it the third world, what should you call it? (2015).
Trainer, T. (2016). Scrap the conventional model of third world “development.”