Not an Education Thing, It’s a Medical Thing Attention...

The treatment of people with ADHD has varied over the years with what they can and cannot do. â€Å"ADHD stands for Attention-defiance hyperactivity disorder, it is a condition characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity† (NAMI). Usually, it is diagnosed in early childhood, but it is not limited to children, adults can also be diagnosed later in their years. The diagnose effects about 9% in children ages 9-17 and 2-4% adults. The symptoms are different for everyone, because there is such a wide range of diagnoses. ADHD itself cannot be determined by just one test, it takes a series of test. Symptoms include, difficult engaging is activities quietly, excessive talking, difficult times in paying attention and failure to pay†¦show more content†¦After becoming so into swimming, in sixth grade he told his mom he wanted to be taken off stimulant medication for ADHD, and she decided to go along with it, thinking with his busy schedule he could control himsel f. Now, at 28 years old the Olympic swimmer has won a total of 22 medals, 13 world records and the most medals at a single game. His mother, Debbie Phelps, says â€Å"â€Å"All kids can fail us at times, but if you work with them, nine times out of 10, they’ll make you proud† (Dutton). In America’s military, ADHD restricts men and women from enlisting in certain positions or duties. The enlisting policy states that the diagnosis or treatment was enough to disqualify a person from service until they could receive a special waver. However, under the new standards changed in 2004, anyone who has been treated with ADHD medication in the past year or shows â€Å"significant† evidence of ADHD symptoms is the only way they can be disqualified. Some people say that since it has not been challenged in a court of law, it is obviously not that important to the citizens of America. Even with more relax standards, the overly restrictive policy that regards ADHD medication is something that still needs to be adjusted. â€Å"An individual with ADD/ADHD who is being treated with medication is not necessarily too ADD/ADHD to be an effective soldier† (Jaska). Arguments are often made about the well-being of soldiers with ADHD who are somehow more capable then ot hers,Show MoreRelatedThe Difference of Sadness and Depression in Children Essay1658 Words   |  7 PagesMost people think that sadness and depression are terms refer to the same emotional disorder level. In fact, sadness is the behavior that occurs as a result of facing some difficulties in our daily life and it is usually continues for a couple of days. While depression is a serious mental illness that happen due to the continual feeling of sadness that persist for weeks, months and even years. Depression can affect people from all ages, in 1975, the National Institute of Mental Health announced thatRead MoreAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( Adhd )1787 Words   |  8 PagesATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER Also known as: ADHD WHAT IS ADHD? ADHD is a behavioral disorder that affects about 10% of school-aged children. Boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with it. Children with ADHD act without thinking, are hyperactive, and have trouble focusing. They may understand what is anticipated of them but have trouble following through because they can’t sit still, pay attention or focus on details. All children, act this way at times, particularly when theyRead MoreDropping Out Of High School2003 Words   |  9 Pagesthey do not plan to further their education and do not see a reason to finish if they do not plan to go to college. Many of these students are victims of their disease, be it substance abuse or mental health. When the disease takes over, nothing else matters, I have seen it happen many times in the few years I have lived. It is because of my own experience that I say that the three main reasons young people drop out of high school are due to psychological disorders, drug addiction, or engaging in

Juvenile Justice Free Essays

Treatment vs. Punishment There are many different types of crimes committed by juvenile delinquents in today’s society. These crimes consist of violent crimes, property crimes, forgery, fraud, vandalism as well as many others. We will write a custom essay sample on Juvenile Justice or any similar topic only for you Order Now In 2009, there were 32,638,900 youths in the United States and 1,906,600 of them were arrested for a type of crime. (Puzzanchera Adams, 2012). There are many options that the Department of Juvenile Justice System can lead towards such as punishment or treatment, but the rehabilitation depends on the juvenile at hand. Most research suggests there is a reduced recidivism amongst juveniles who receive treatment. Treatment options are the ideal way to deal with juvenile delinquency. Juvenile Delinquency The definition of juvenile delinquency is a behavior against the criminal code, committed by an individual who has not reached proper adulthood by state or federal law. (Bartol Bartol, 2011). Different states have different age of jurisdictions ranging from ages 15 through 17 which 37 states have adopted. â€Å"The age of the youth dictates whether the juvenile court or the adult court system has authority over the case. (Listwan, 2013, Sec 1. 2). For instance, if a juvenile committed a crime in Michigan at the age of 17 the jurisdiction would be in adult court system. Treatment and Punishment Concepts There is a debate on whether juvenile delinquents should be punished for their crimes, or if they should be rehabilitated for the crimes they committed. When many people look at the court system they may believe that the juvenile justice system is geared towards punishment but in the past, the juvenile justice system was geared towards rehabilitation. Historically, the juvenile justice system was oriented toward rehabilitation and care of the youth. † (Listwan, 2013, Sec 1. 3). In recent years, society is getting back to rehabilitation concepts by incorporating different treatment options whereas in the 1970’s a psychologist by the name of Robert Martinson did a study on whether or not treatment reduced recidivism rates. In his study, Martinson concluded that treatment did not lead to lower recidivism rates and stated, â€Å"Nothing works† when it came to treatment. (Listwan, 2013). Currently in the midst of juvenile delinquency, research is showing that treatment services are working by as much as 30–35 percent. (Listwan, 2013). In Australia, a study was conducted on recidivism rates for juvenile offenders and they reported that 1,500 juvenile justice clients reoffended, which was a 61 percent increase. (Day, Howells Rickwood, 2004). They were astonished by this number and began to implement rehabilitation known as a â€Å"what works† approach to offenders. â€Å"This approach can be summarized by a core set of principles of human service delivery. Collectively, these principles suggest that reductions in recidivism can be maximized when programs select appropriate candidates, target factors that directly relate to their offending, and are delivered in ways that facilitate learning. † (Day, Howells Rickwood, 2004, Para 5). This program appears to be working at the recidivism rates are decreasing. The United States is also implementing rehabilitation programs to help reduce recidivism rates. â€Å"More than 30 years of research has produced a body of evidence that clearly demonstrates that rehabilitation programs work. (Przybylski, 2008, Pg 2). Juvenile Sex Offenders and Juvenile Justice Intervention Strategy A juvenile sex offender is described as a youth who has been convicted of a sex crime which may include rape, sodomy, fondling, or other forced sexual act. (Listwan, 2013). Numerous people believe that society should throw away the key on these juvenile sex offenders. â€Å"Sex offenders are often placed on the low est rung of the criminal hierarchy— meaning that most people feel that sex offenders are the worst of the worst. † (Listwan, 2013, Sec 9. 4). In some cases, if a child does not receive the proper counseling needed, they can grow up committing the same acts of violence which were bestowed on them. For instance, â€Å"violence becomes a learned problem-solving technique transmitted from one generation to the next in a phenomenon known as the cycle of violence. † (Collica Furst, 2012, Sec 7. 1). If a youth does end up committing this act of violence, they are first adjudicated by the court system and will receive their sentencing. A judge will either send them to a treatment facility or else may send them to a detention center depending on the age of the juvenile. All judges seem to believe that family structure and prior record are almost equally important factors in determining offenders’ likelihood of rehabilitation. (D’Angelo, 2010). There are many treatment facilities which deal specifically with juvenile sex offenders. Psychologists are becoming more optimistic in the treatment of sex offenders. â€Å"First, they believe that the most effective interventions, or treatment methods, are those that follow the principles of risk, need, and responsivity (RNR). † (Bartol Bartol, 2011, Pg 403). Other treatment which appears to be successful is cognitive behavioral therapy which shapes the behavior as well as thinking pattern in offenders. This therapy teaches juveniles on their thinking pattern on some situation and how that can influence their actions in some situations. â€Å"Cognitive behavior therapy argues that maladaptive sexual behaviors are learned according to the same rules as normal sexual behavior, by means of classical and/or instrumental conditioning, modeling, reinforcement, generalization, and punishment. † (Bartol Bartol, 2011, Pg 404). A great deal of studies suggests that cognitive behavior therapy appears to be the best treatment in reducing recidivism amongst juvenile delinquents whether this include sexual offences or any other type of offences. Juveniles who complete a cognitive-behavioral program are less likely to commit sexual or any re-offenses than are juveniles who do not receive treatment, receive an alternative treatment, or do not complete treatment. (Przybylski, 2008, Pg 53). Multisystemic therapy (MST) is also a successful treatment approach for serious juvenile offenders. This therapy option addresses the cognitive and systemic factors such as family, peers, as well as school which are associated with risk factors. The juvenile, counselor as well as the family work together. In a study conducted, â€Å"The data showed that MST participants had significantly lower recidivism rates at follow-up than did those participants who received individual therapy (50% vs. 81%, respectively). Recidivism, depending on the study, refers to re-arrest, reconviction, or incarceration after an initial juvenile arrest, conviction, or incarceration. (Bartol Bartol, 2011, Pg 168). In North Carolina, there is a successful intervention program called Sexual Abuse Intervention Services. This program is located at Barium Spring. This program offers, This program offers, psychosexual evaluation (Sex Offense Specific Evaluation), in-home family therapy, weekly sex offense specific group therapy, individual therapy, individualized safety plans in the home, school and community, case management—coordinating and monitoring services, ongoing consultation with juvenile court counselors to monitor client’s reatment progress and status in the home/community, family reunification when appropriate, step-down services for clients who are transitioning back into the community from residential placement. (Foster, 2013). This program believes in treating juvenile sex offenders to reduce recidivism. The program appears to be successful for the fact that many juvenile sex offender clients at a local group home attended this program and none of them have reoffended. Unfortunately, there is no data available. Juvenile Crime Statistics Different states have different statistics on juvenile offenders. In 2009, 1,906,600 juveniles were arrested for various types of crimes in the United States. During that year, there were 722,000 youths in Arizona, 1,096,000 in Michigan, and 971,900 youths in North Carolina. (Puzzanchera, Adams, Kang, 2012). In that same year, Arizona had 52,062 juveniles arrested for various crimes; Michigan had 36,643 juvenile arrested and North Carolina had 48,634 for various crimes. Statistics indicate that in Arizona, 1,366 juveniles were arrested for violent crimes including rape, robbery and aggravated assault and 11,181 were arrested for property crimes including burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson as well as many others. In Michigan there were 2,136 juveniles arrested for violent crimes and 10,993 were arrested for property crimes. North Carolina statistics show that 2,483 juveniles were arrested for violent crimes and 12,766 were arrested for property crime. (Puzzanchera, Adams, Kang, 2012). The arrest rate in juveniles has steadily decreased from the 1990’s through present time in Arizona, Michigan and North Carolina. Society would agree that this decrease in crime is beneficial to every person in the community. Arizona, Michigan and North Carolina juvenile arrests consist of every race including White, Black, Indian, Asian, Hispanic, as well as many others. Not one particular race committed any acts of violence, but instead all races. For instance, in Arizona, 10,259 White juveniles committed violent crimes and 34,070 committed property crimes. ,465 Black juveniles committed violent crimes and 3,191 committed property crimes including drug charges. 5,016 Hispanic juveniles committed violent crimes and 15,388 committed property crimes. (Halliday, 2011). In Michigan, violent crime data indicates that nine Black juveniles committed murders and one White committed murder. 476 black juveniles were arrested for aggravated assault, 418 arrests for White juveniles, and 12 arrests of Hispanic juveniles. (Elam, Siemon Fitzpatrick, 2012). As for robbery in Michigan, 384 were Black juveniles, whereas 39 were White and six were Hispanic juveniles. Property crimes such as larceny show that 3,131 arrests were White juveniles, 2,241 arrests were Black juveniles and 151 were Hispanic juveniles. (Elam, Siemon Fitzpatrick, 2012). For burglary crimes, there were 630 arrests of White juveniles, 651 arrests of Black juveniles and 29 arrests of Hispanic juveniles. In North Carolina, the statistics are different than Arizona as well as Michigan. The state of North Carolina analyzes their data according to class felonies. For instance, in 2009 the juvenile arrest rate for Black juveniles with a class A-E felony which includes, murder, rape, sexual assault, manslaughter, drug crimes, sexual battery, robbery as well as others was 485 juveniles. (NCDJJ, 2010). There were 226 White juveniles convicted of a class A-E felony and 28 Hispanic. In the class F-I felony which includes property crimes, the data indicated 4,816 Black juveniles were arrested, 2,837 White juveniles were arrested as well as 1,670 Hispanics were arrested. (NCDJJ, 2010). Males along with females both account for crimes committed on adult as well as juvenile levels. Numerous people believe that males make up arrest statistics, but females contribute to these arrests. For instance, in the state of Arizona, 16,943 females were arrested in 2009. 34,659 juvenile males were arrested that same year. The female juveniles accounted for 4,611 violent crimes and 12,332 property crimes. 7,804 arrests were made for violent crimes amongst males and 26, 855 for property crimes. (Halliday, 2011). In Michigan, juvenile females accounted for 6,484 arrests in 2009. Male arrest rates were much higher at 14,814. (Elam, Siemon Fitzpatrick, 2012). â€Å"The number of arrests statewide decreased for both male and female juveniles between 2005 and 2009, with violent crimes by females decreasing more slightly than violent crimes by males. † (Elam, Siemon Fitzpatrick, 2012, Pg 43). In 2009, there were 2,734 juvenile females arrested for larceny theft as well as 2,894 juvenile males arrested for larceny theft. Unfortunately, there was no data available for juvenile gender arrests except that all arrests made were 75% male juveniles. (NCDJJ, 2010). Different states have different age ranges on who commits an act of violence. Unfortunately, not all states have data on the age ranges for youths such as Arizona. In Michigan, for instance, 86 percent of arrests for sex offences were between the ages of 13 through 16. (Elam, Siemon Fitzpatrick, 2012). In 2009, juveniles between the age of seven through 10, 276 were arrested which represented 1. percent of total arrests that year. (Elam, Siemon Fitzpatrick, 2012). In North Carolina, 3. 11 undisciplined rates per 1,000 between the ages of six to 17 were arrested. The delinquent Rate per 1,000 between the ages of six to 15 was 29. 14 in 2009. (NCDJJ, 2010). State Treatment Every state has different treatment options for juveniles. Most states offer teen courts for juvenile delinquents. For instance, in Arizona, â€Å"Teen Court hears the matter and determines an appropriate, constructive consequence, using established guidelines. (Starky, 2012). These constructive consequences range from community service hours, restitution, a letter of apology, counseling, tutoring, research papers, educational classes, skill-building classes, as well as a few others. Arizona also offers early intervention programs such as Court Unified Truancy Suppression Program, Families in Need of Services, Drug Diversion Program, as well as School Safety Program. The state of Michigan also tries early intervention as well as treatment programs for their juvenile delinquents. For instance, Michigan currently has three rehabilitation facilities which focus on therapy as well as specialized treatment programs. Unfortunately, Michigan cut their budget on treatment facilities from 2000 which had approximately 10 facilities. This state offers early intervention programs one in particular called Juvenile Accountability Block Grants JABG program. This programs mission is to â€Å"Reduce juvenile offending through accountability-based programs focused on juvenile offenders and the juvenile justice system. † (DHS, 2013). North Carolina also prefers treatment instead of punishment. â€Å"The Division offers services for youth by establishing and maintaining a seamless comprehensive juvenile justice system that promotes juvenile delinquency prevention, intervention and treatment. † (NCDPS, 2012). North Carolina juvenile justice system focuses to strengthen families, promote delinquency prevention, support core social institutions, intervene immediately and effectively when delinquent behavior occurs and identify and control the small group of serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders in the local communities. NCDPS, 2012). North Carolina offers many facilities for juveniles around the state and a great deal of these facilities includes crime specific treatment. When juveniles are adjudicated and once they are released they may continue on the same path and commit other crimes. Often times, juveniles will continue with this circle and end up back in juvenile detention centers or on probati on. The Arizona Department of Juvenile corrections had a 12 month recidivism rate of 34. 1percent for juveniles released during 2008. The number dropped from 2006 which indicated there was a 48 percent recidivism rate. (ADJC, 2010). In Michigan, the recidivism rate measured by a felony conviction was 22 percent at two years after release during 2004. The number dropped from the previous year at 24 percent. â€Å"Recidivism rates were higher for minority youths than for white youths. † (MDHS, 2013). In 2004 in North Carolina, the recidivism rate for juvenile delinquents was 26. 7 percent. (Beck, Calhoun, Hevener Katzenelson, 2007). Arizona appears to have the highest recidivism rate in all three states. Theories There is no exact evidence which addresses juvenile delinquency but a mixture of biological, psychological and sociological. The biological theory explains that physical attributes as well as heredity may lead a juvenile to commit crimes. â€Å"Biological explanations of behavior focus on biological properties of an individual, including the individual’s genetic background, structural damage in the brain, or the role of various chemicals in the nervous system. † (Wilson, 2012, Sec 1. 5). Heredity also plays a major role in behavior and criminal actions are believed to have run down in the family. Hereditary explanations of causation hold that criminality in some families is hereditary, and that deviance is genetically encoded in those born into the family group. † (Martin, 2005, Pg 76). Research believes that hormones may have an impact on people committing crimes such as higher testosterone. â€Å"Studies find that men with high levels of testosterone are more l ikely to be aggressive. More importantly, studies find that hormones can impact the brain, making individuals less sensitive to stimuli, so they in turn seek out more thrilling situations to stimulate their brain. (Listwan, 2013, Sec 3. 4). Another indicator could include the environment the juvenile resides. Environment can play a crucial role such a brain development, depression, anxiety, aggression as well as hyperactivity. Numerous people believe that the environment plays a significant role on behavior which can be stemmed from parents raising their children. â€Å"Criminals and delinquents are stimulated (reinforced) by their environment to continue acting out defiantly until they are punished in some manner. † (Martin, 2005, Pg 81). With this being said, when a juvenile is rewarded for their deviance, and receive no punishment or treatment for breaking the law, they will continue to do so until they are adjudicated. Psychological theory which is also the personality theory suggests that there is a relationship between crime and personality. â€Å"Juvenile delinquents and adult criminals are, according to psychoanalytic theory, persons without sufficiently developed egos and superegos. If the moralistic superego is weak, a person can easily act out on his or her primal urges without remorse (an unchecked id), and mislabel deviance as acceptable behavior. (Martin, 2005, Pg 80). Another theory under the psychological theory is the conditioning theory. This portion explains that a person’s future behavior is conditioned by his or her past experiences. The interrelationships between individuals, socioeconomic groups, social processes, and societal structures are known as the sociological theory. It is believe s that a lower living class has a higher crime rate. â€Å"The UCR shows that there is a class crime relationship, meaning crime rates are higher among those who are lower in class areas. (Listwan, 2013, Sec 3. 5). For instance, in many lower class areas, parents work to support their family, thus in return youths do not have any supervision. The youths in light of the freedom, tend to get into trouble. For instance, in Gladwin County in Michigan indicates this is the one of Michigan’s counties with the highest number of juvenile poverty rate which is over 29 percent. This county also has the state’s highest juvenile arrest rate. With this being said, socioeconomic considerations have an impact on the influences in juvenile delinquency. Treatment There are many treatment options for juveniles which have become readily available. The best type of treatment option would be early intervention. Youths should start young in learning to control their behavior as well as take responsibility for their actions. Numerous people will look at juvenile delinquents and give up on their treatment. They may think that he or she is past the point of rehabilitation. A beneficial program that parents should incorporate in their daily lives is called the Incredible Years Series (IYS) Program. This program not only works for children who display behavioral or conduct disorders, but also for other children. This program is geared towards children between the ages of two through ten. â€Å"The Incredible Years Parents, Teachers, and Children Training Series, is designed to prevent, reduce, and treat conduct problems among children ages 2 to 10 and to increase their social competence. † (Wilson, 2000, Pg 1). Some goals to reduce conduct problems in children include decreasing negative behaviors and noncompliance with parents at home, decreasing peer aggression and disruptive behaviors in the classroom. Other goals include promoting social, emotional, and academic competence in children such as increasing children’s social skills, increasing children’s understanding of feelings, increasing children’s conflict management skills and decrease negative attributions, as well as increasing academic engagement, school readiness, and cooperation with teachers. â€Å"A substantial body of research has clearly shown that young children with early-onset behavioral problems are at significantly greater risk of having severe antisocial difficulties, academic underachievement, school dropout, violence, and drug abuse in adolescence and adulthood. (Webster-Stratton Herman, 2010). With this program, all children can have a crime free future. Conclusion In conclusion, treatment options are the ideal way to deal with juvenile delinquency. There are many attributes which take place in dealing with punishment or treatment for juvenile offenders. Most research suggests that treatm ent is the best options and helps reduce recidivism rate. For juvenile sex offenders, specific treatment helps reduce the likelihood of recidivism especially with cognitive behavior therapy. There are also numerous programs such as the one in North Carolina which deals directly with juvenile sex offenders. The program has a good turn around rate with the local group home facility. Every state has different data, and while comparing this data opens a person’s eyes as to the crime rate in their community. When people observe this data it gives them an incentive to get out in the community and help these juvenile delinquents. Even though Arizona has the least amount of juvenile arrests, this state has the highest recidivism rate amongst Arizona, Michigan as well as North Carolina. When trying to pin point on why a juvenile acts out, biological, psychological and sociological theories all play a major role. The reasoning can be from heredity, personality, environment as well as socioeconomic considerations. There are many early intervention programs readily available for youths as well as juvenile delinquents which have already committed a crime. Parent should begin to take an initiative in their children life at an early age to stop the deviant behavior in the future. After all, these children are our future. References: Alexander, M. A. (1999). Sexual offender treatment efficacy revisited. Sexual Abuse: Journal OfResearch And Treatment, 11(2), 101-116. doi:10. 1007/BF02658841. Retrieved fromEBSCOhost Database. Bartol, C. R. , Bartol, A. M. (2011). Criminal behavior: A pscychological approach (9th ed. ). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN: 9780558591373 Beck, M. , Calhoun, K. , Hevener, G. , Katzenelson, S. (2007). Juvenile recidivism study. DOI: www. nccourts. org/Courts/CRS/Councils/spac/Documents Collica, K. Furst, G. (2012). Crime society. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from Ashford Constellation. D’Angelo, J. M. (2002). Juvenile court judges’ perceptions of what factors affect juvenileoffenders’ likelihood of rehabilitation. Juvenile Family Court Journal, 53(3), 43-55. Retrieved from ProQuest Database. Day, A. , Howells, K. , Rickwood, D. (2004). Current trends in the rehabilitation of juvenileoffenders. Woden, Woden: Australian Institute of Criminology. Retrieved from ProQuestDatabase. Elam, P. , Siemon, C. , Fitzpatrick, D. (2012). Michigan’s Statewide Juvenile Arrest AnalysisReport. Retrieved from Public http://michigancommitteeonjuvenilejustice. om/sitefiles/files/Documents/2012JuvenileArrestAnalysisReportVol1. pdf Foster, J. (2013). Barium springs, giving hope to children and families. Retrieved fromhttp://www. bariumsprings. org/page. cfm? id=32 Halliday, R. (2011). Arizona department of public safety. Retrieved fromhttp://www. azdps. gov/About/Reports/docs/Crime_In_Arizona_Report_2009. pdf Listwan, S. J. (2013). Introduction to juvenile justice. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint, Education,Inc. Martin, G. (2005). Juvenile justice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. DOI:www. sagepub. com/books/Book226433 MDHS. (2013). Juvenile accountability block grants (jabg). Retrieved fromhttp://www. michigan. gov/dhs/0,4562,7-124-5453_34044_34052-15632–,00. html NCDJJ. (2010). 2009 annual report north carolina department of juvenile justice. Retrievedfrom website:http://www. juvjus. state. nc. us/resources/pdf_documents/annual_report_2009. pdf Pullman, L. , Seto, M. C. (2012). Assessment and treatment of adolescent sexual offenders:Implications of recent research on generalist versus specialist explanations. Child Abuse Neglect, 36(3), 203-209. doi:10. 1016/j. chiabu. 2011. 11. 003. Retrieved fromEBSCOhost Database. Puzzanchera, C. nd Adams, B. (2012). Juvenile Arrests 2009. Office of Juvenile Justice andDelinquency Prevention. Retrieved from http://www. ojjdp. gov Starky, C. (2012). Teen courts: Juvenile probation. Retrieved fromhttp://www. superiorcourt. maricopa. gov/JuvenileProbation/Probation/teenCourt. asp Wilson, J. F. (2012). Introduction to biological psychology. San Diego, CA: BridgepointEdu cation, Inc. Webster-Stratton, C. , Herman, K. C. (2010). Disseminating Incredible Years Series earlyintervention programs: Integrating and sustaining services between school and home. Psychology In The Schools, 47(1), 36-54. How to cite Juvenile Justice, Papers

Economies of Latin America-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignment

Question: Write a report on the development path of the two countries of Latin America. Answer: Introduction Latin America is defined as the group of nations in the two continents of America, with a predominance of Portuguese and Spanish. The group consists of many countries with varying level of economic condition. Until 1980s, the economy of Latin America was mainly based on the economic policy of import substitution. This policy had helped in the growth of the domestic economy and domestic businesses. However, this policy also reduced the international competitiveness of the domestic industry and increased the debt crisis of the nations. By 1990s, the continent switched to free market economy system. This resulted in reducing the debt crisis and established the industries of agriculture, mining and forestry (Oecd.org 2015). Among the nations, Columbia and Argentina are two biggest economies in Latin America. Both the countries have demonstrated growth prospects and economic scopes. The economy of Argentina is the third largest in the Latin America and second largest in the South America. The economy is based on a rich source of natural resources, high level of literacy, export based agricultural industry and diversified industries. On the other hand, Colombia is just behind Argentina in the rank of largest economies of Latin America. This is also export based economy, petroleum being the major export product, followed by manufacturing (reports.weforum.org 2015). The investment decision on any economy depends on many factors. Majorly the macroeconomic factors of a nation influence the investment decisions. The element of political and economic uncertainties, stock of capital and other resources, income level of the country, level of liquid asset, aggregate demand, population growth, government policies, and many such economic factors determine the level of domestic and international investments in the nation. Hence, while making an investment in a nation of Latin America, the choice of the nation depends on such macro economic factors. In this case, the choice between Columbia and Argentina depends on the economic and political conditions of the countries and their growth prospects. The social factors also play a major role in investment decisions, such as, the crime rate, education level of the citizens, standard of living etc. The nations must be compared in order to take the final decision about the investments (Hatch and Howland 2015). Comparison of the countries Economy of Argentina Argentina is one of the most developed nations in the Latin America. It is a high income economy with the second position among the South American economies and third position among the Latin American economies. In 2016, the nominal GDP of Argentina was USD 545.9 billion (World Bank 2017). The major sectors contributing in the growth of the GDP are Agriculture, fishing and forestry (6%), mining (3.6%), manufacturing (17.2%), construction (5.6%), transport, utilities and communication (7.9%), government (9.5%), and business, social and other services (33.3%). The country has faced an inflation rate of 21.9% by June 2017, which is quite higher compared to the developed countries. Almost 32.2% people lives below the poverty line. The economy of Argentina is export based. In 2015, the total export of the country was $56.76 billion and the main export partners are Brazil, China and the United States. The country imported goods worth of $57.18 billion in 2015, and the major import partners were Brazil, United States, China and Germany. The key exports are petroleum, gas, corn, vehicles, wheat and soybeans, and the imported products are machinery, motor vehicles, organic chemicals, plastics, petroleum and natural gas (Arboleda and Gonzalez 2016). Economy of Colombia Colombia is another largest economy of South as well as Latin America. In 2016, the nominal GDP of Colombia was 282.5 billion USD (World Bank 2017). The level of inflation is 4.77% in 2017, which is at a moderate level and less than that in Argentina. The major sectors are textiles, oil, food processing, chemicals, clothing, footwear, cement, coal, gold, emeralds, home appliance, electronics, and shipbuilding. The country exported goods worth of $55 billion in 2014, and imported goods of $53.8 billion. The main export goods are petroleum, coal, nickel, apparel, televisions, smartphones, computers, steel, chemicals, emeralds, bananas, apparels etc. and import products are industrial equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity and transportation equipment. The key trade partners are United States, Canada, EU, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Netherlands, China, Mexico, Brazil, and Germany (Tabares, Alvarez and Urbano 2015). GDP comparison of the two countries Figure 1: GDP comparison of the two countries, 2005-2016 (Source: World Bank 2017) The graph above depicts the growth of economies of the two countries in the past decades. It can be seen that, both the economies grew significantly, especially 2010 onwards; however, the level of growth of Argentina was higher than that of Colombia. Competitive advantage Competitiveness of a nation is dependent on the capacity of the industries to upgrade and innovate, and the companies gain the advantages against the competitors due to challenge and pressure. Over time, the competition has shifted more towards creation, innovation and assimilation of the knowledge. Thus, competitive advantage is generated and sustained through a localized process. Countries gain competitive advantage in some industries, in which they can create specialization. Hence, a nation cannot be competitive in all industries. In the industries, where the nation can produce most efficiently and at lower cost than the competitors, competitiveness is gained (Wagner III and Hollenbeck 2014). Global Competitive Index (GCI) measures the effect of the primary factors, contributing to the conditions for competitiveness of a nation, with a specific focus on the macroeconomic environment, institutional qualities, supporting infrastructure and technology (Huggins et al. 2014). According to WEF Global Competitive Index of 2016-17, Argentina holds 104th position, and Colombia holds 61st position. In the list of 2015-16, Colombia was in the same position, while Argentina was at 106th position. Thus, from 2015 to 2016, Argentina has improved its competitive advantage compared to Colombia (WEF 2017). If the exports and imports of the countries are analyzed, then the areas of competitive advantage can be understood. WEF has defined competitiveness as a set of policies, institutions, and elements determining the productivity of a nation. This in turn determines the rate of return on the investments in the economy. Investments drive the growth rate of a country, and a competitive economy draws more investments and grows faster. The 12 pillars of competitiveness are, Institutions, Infrastructure, Macroeconomic environment, Health and Primary education, Higher education and training, Goods market efficiency, Labor market efficiency, financial market development, Technological readiness, Market size, Business Sophistication, and Innovation (reports.weforum.org 2015). WEF also defined five stages of development and weighted index for measuring the growth and competitive advantage position of the countries, based on the 12 pillars. The stages are classified on the basis of the nature of growth. In stage 1, the growth is mainly factor driven and the nations compete on the basis of factor endowments. In Stage 2, growth is efficiency driven and in Stage 3, the growth is innovation driven. There are two transition stages in between these 3 stages. The classification of the countries happens on the basis of two conditions. Firstly, level of per capita GDP at the market exchange rate and secondly, the dependence on the resource sector than on the income (Gaportal.org 2017). According to those stages, Colombia is in stage 2, which is efficiency driven, and Argentina is in the transition phase from stage 2 to stage 3, where stage 3 denotes the phase that is innovation driven. Hence, it can be said that, Colombias growth is dependent on the efficiency of the factors and resources, while Argentina is slightly more developed than Colombia. Its growth is generated from transition of resources being efficient and moving towards being innovative. However, the GCI ranking and score is better for Colombia than for Argentina due to various government policies to improve competitiveness (WEF 2017). The sub-indexes of GCI are Basic Requirements, Efficiency Enhancers and Innovation and Sophistication factors. The GCI table also comprises of Rank and Score of the nations. In the 2016-17 Global Competitiveness Report by WEF, Argentina scored 3.81 out of 7. The average score of the nation was 3.87 from 2007 to 2017 (Tradingeconomics.com 2017). In 2016, Argentina went up the rank by two positions. This is driven by innovation and sophistication elements, which reflect better preparedness of the nation to adapt to the changing environment. The institutions quality improved due to better protection of the intellectual property and more efficient jurisdiction. The education quality and efficiency of the goods market reflect signs of development. The improvement in both the score and rank came after the new administration implemented broad economic and social reforms in an adverse macroeconomic context, that is, Brazils recession. Brazil is the main trading partner of Argentina, and low commodity prices, high inflation, and adjustments in utility tariffs have created difficulties for the transition to flow towards a market oriented model. However, growth is expected to come along due to competitive reforms, although consumer sentiment is weak (weforum.org 2016). In 2016-17, Colombia ranked 61 and scored 4.30 out of 7 in the Global Competitiveness Report by WEF (Tradingeconomics.com 2017). For the last 20 years, Colombia has worked on improving its competitiveness in the international market by implementing some reforms for consolidating the National System of Competitiveness, Technology, Innovation and Science. This has solidified the institutional framework for achieving private-public collaboration, required to develop the National Agenda and to strengthen the regions (Oecd.org 2015). With this institution, the system of innovation has made the competitiveness of the nation more efficient. All these systems worked separately and created impediments for the coordination between the competitiveness and science, technology and innovation (Williamson et al. 2013). Hence, the competitive strategies remained independent nationally as well as regionally. The new government has promoted the integration of all these factors into a single factor for competitiveness. Thus, not only competitiveness is achieved over the years, but other factors are improved also. At the same time, the government established many new departmental committees to promote the agendas for regional competitiveness, productivity, science, technology and innovation agendas, along with the national agendas (Harzing and Giroud 2015). Recommendations It can be recommended that, investment have better scopes of return in Colombia than in Argentina. Colombia is more developed technologically, with the establishment of National System of Competitiveness, Science, Technology and Innovation. The exports of Colombia also reflect these changes, while Argentina still depends on agricultural and mining. Hence, in relation to the 12 pillars of competitiveness, framed by WEF, Colombia has achieved the maximum success in the past few years. The government is actively involved in the process of improving the competitiveness of the nation; thereby committees are created for specific purposes (Galindo and Melndez 2013). Hence, the political, social and economic conditions of Colombia are favorable for investments. Conclusion Latin America has also suffered from the ill effects of global financial crisis. The export values dropped, creating economic crisis for the export based nations, such as, Argentina and Columbia. However, with time, Colombia has recovered from the shocks and increased its competitiveness than Argentina, another major economy of the Latin America. By observing at the economic, social and political conditions of the countries and evaluating their competitiveness based on the 12 pillars and stages of development, it can be said that, investments in Colombia would bring more positive impact than in Argentina. Although, Argentina have come up in the ranking list in the last year, and Colombia remained at same position, yet, the rank and score of Colombia is much higher than Argentina. 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