British economy. Socio-economic development of Great Britain

Economic development

The UK is one of the seven world's economically developed countries. It has deposits of oil and gas produced in the North Sea, coal and limestone Land area suitable for agriculture, make up 77% of the UK. The labor resources of the country unite highly qualified workers and prominent scientists. Over the past 20 years, such transformations have been carried out in the English economy "1) the public sector has been reduced (such giants of the English economy as British Telecom, British Coal were sold), tax rates have been reduced from individuals and legal entities; 3) economic deregulation has been carried out (with a simultaneous reduction government spending)

The extractive industries play an important role in UK industry. But it should be noted that with the simultaneous closure of mines, there is an increase in oil and gas production on the continental shelf of the North Sea. Oil production is carried out using the most advanced drilling technologies on drilling platforms. British Petroleum and the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch/Shell are among the leaders in their market segment. In the manufacturing industry, the following sectors enjoy priority:

Transport engineering (12.4% of the total industrial

production), where the automotive industry stands out

(national companies and branches of foreign companies

Rover, Ford, Jaguar, Vauxhall, Pegeout-Talbot, Honda, Nissan,

Toyota), shipbuilding (including shipbuilding

equipment and construction of drilling platforms), aerospace

The medical industry is the third largest in the world after the USA and

France, producing civil and military aircraft

(British Aerospace, Harrier, Tornado, Euro fighter), helicopters "Si-

King and Linco, Rolls-Royce aircraft engines, equipment

for the European concern Airbus Industry;

food industry(12.5% of total production

stva), including the production of the famous Scottish whisk

ki, gin and milk;

General engineering: agricultural production

natural machinery and machine tools, including the production of textiles

equipment (Great Britain - the seventh in the world

manufacturer in the world of machine tools);

Electronics and electrical engineering: computers (including

manufacturers such as IBM and Compaq); software obes

baking; processors and supercomputers; telecom facilities

communications (fiber optics, radars, etc.); medical

equipment; Appliances;

Chemical industry (11% of total

industry): pharmaceuticals (Great Britain - the fourth in the world

drug manufacturer) agrochemistry; perfumery; new ma

materials and biotechnologies;

Metal production (10.8% of total production);

Pulp and paper industry.

Development modern industry Great Britain

determined by the level of development of high technologies. Great Britain has the highest scientific and technical potential in Europe. Great Britain ranks second in the world after the United States in terms of the number of Nobel Prizes received by its scientists. The most important discoveries of the British are the structure of DNA, superconductivity, radio astrophysics, cloning, the ozone hole, and computed tomography. The global dominance of the UK in electronics and telecommunications (British Telecom alone carries out about a thousand research discoveries a year), chemistry (pharmaceuticals, new materials, biotechnology), aerospace industry (Coneord aircraft, vertical take-off and landing aircraft, radar, tracking systems) is generally recognized. for air traffic)

Expenses for scientific research discoveries amount to over 2% of GDP per year, including over 35% of all research discoveries financed by the state. The construction industry in Great Britain has proven itself highly in the world. world recognition High Quality The constructions of the British are served by the fact that the Eurodisneyland near Paris, the Olympic facilities in Atlanta, the airport in Hong Kong were built by British firms.

The service sector is represented by industries such as finance and tourism. 25% of the country's GDP is generated by the financial services sector. It employs 12% of the country's labor reserves, and London is the world's financial center, the financial capital of the planet. Among financial services, it is worth highlighting banking (in addition to British banks, 50 largest banks in the world are represented in London), insurance, the market for derivative financial instruments (futures, options, global depository receipts), the bond market (Eurobonds), the foreign exchange market (transactions with eurocurrencies), financial leasing, trust transactions with foreign shares, transactions with precious metals. In addition to London, major financial centers are Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool, Edinburgh. The second most important branch of the service sector is tourism, 7% of the working population is employed here, and the annual income exceeds $ 8 billion. London is the largest tourist center in the world.

The private sector, represented by British Petroleum, Shell, British Gas, British Oil, and Enterprise Oil, plays an important role in the country's energy sector.

Agriculture in the UK is highly commercial, while its share in the country's GDP is the smallest among developed countries, only Germany is smaller. The UK is half self-sufficient in food. The main agricultural crops are wheat, oats, sugar beet, barley, wheat. The country's livestock sector suffered significant damage due to an epidemic of spongiform encephalitis (“mad cow disease!”) That struck cattle. For safety reasons, one third of the cow population was destroyed

Great Britain, like all leading countries of the world, has a developed transport infrastructure. The opening of the Eurotunnel under the English Channel made the UK's connection with the continent even more stable. The progress of the country in development is indicative civil aviation. British Airways is by far the largest airline in the world (if you count its share in foreign companies and English companies), and London's Heathrow Airport is the largest aviation harbor in the world.

The largest ports of the country: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Glasgow, Hull, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Plymouth, Peterhead, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Falmouth, Tees, Tyne. The UK merchant fleet consists of 155 ships (1998).

Exports consist of: manufactured goods, fuels, chemical products, foodstuffs.

Export geography: EU countries - 56% (Germany - 12%, France - 10%, the Netherlands - 8%), USA - 12%.

Imports consisted of: industrial goods, engineering products, food.

Import geography: EU countries - 53% (Germany - 14%, France - 10%, the Netherlands - 7%, Ireland - 5%), USA - 13%.

Currency unit- pound sterling (100 pence).

Oscar Wilde

It is known that...

45% of non-whites live in London (78% black Africans, 61% black Caribbeans, 54% Bangladeshis). Pakistanis: 19% London, 21% Western Highlands, 20% Yorkshire, 16% North West. The resettlement of the non-white population: England - 9%, Wales, Scotland - 2%, North. Ireland - less than 1%, Highlands - 13%, South East and North West - 8%, Yorkshire and the Humber - 7%

Also...

The English inhabit England, most of Wales and form compact settlements in some areas in the south of Scotland. The Scots inhabit mainly the northwestern regions of the island of Great Britain and the Shetland, Orkney and Hebrides Islands adjacent to their coast. In the mountains of the northwestern part of the island, a peculiar ethnic group lives, preserving its original traditions and culture - the Gaels (highlanders). Welsh - Inhabit Wales.
Sev. Ireland: 500 thousand indigenous inhabitants of the island - the Irish - Catholics, 1 million Anglo-Irish and Scotch-Irish.

Population

Demographic situation
Currently, the country is characterized by low population growth - the result of both the convergence of birth and death rates, and a decrease in the balance of migration. In some years, the growth is negative (with positive balance migrations). The problems of “nation aging” are connected with low natural growth. In 2002, persons aged 65 and over made up 15.8% of the population. The 2001 census showed that for the first time the number of people over 60 exceeded the number of children under the age of 15.

Average life expectancy: 76 years for men, 81 years for women. The birth rate (per 1,000 people) is 12.7. Mortality rate (per 1000 people) - 9.1. The average composition of a family is 2 children and parents.

Economically active population of Great Britain. In this area, there is a clear predominance of men over women. If there are 13.6 million employed men, then there are almost 2 times less women - 7.6 million. It should be noted that average age population participating in the economic life of the country is 35-40 years old, but there is a tendency to shift this age to 45-60 years. this is due to the "aging" of the nation.

Royal guard

The Royal Guard (nicknamed "Bearskins" - "bear skins") is the personal guard of the English monarch. In our lives, there is no particular need to fear for the life of a king or queen, and today the guards perform mainly ceremonial duties. However, the traditions of the guards originated about three centuries ago, when the British monarchs really took to the battlefield. The soldiers in the guards regiments were selected very strictly, these were the best units.

british guards division consists today of two cavalry and five infantry regiments. The cavalry is the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment (its uniform is red uniforms, and in winter also red capes) and the Royal Horse Guards Regiment - in blue uniforms and blue capes. Her Majesty's Foot Guards - Coldstream, Grenadier, Scottish, Irish and Welsh. All infantry guardsmen wear high bearskin hats and red coats. That is, it is not easy to distinguish the soldiers of one or another regiment from each other - except perhaps by the location of the buttons on the uniform and the color of the cockade on the cap.

The famous caps of the guards are made from the fur of the North American grizzly bear. The officers' caps are taller and more shiny. The fact is that they are made from the fur of a male, and the caps of privates and non-commissioned officers are made from the fur of a female grizzly (it does not look so impressive).

Features of the economic development of Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland covers an area of 244 thousand square meters. km, population - 59 million people. Most of the inhabitants - 4/5 - live in cities. At first industrial revolution Great Britain was one of the leading industrial countries in the world. However, two world wars and the collapse of the empire caused swipe on the economic position of the country. After the end of World War II, economic recovery took about 40 years. The growth of competitiveness was facilitated by the entry into the European Community in 1973. In the 1980s, mass privatization of previously nationalized industrial enterprises. originality British economy and its position in the world economy reflects the peculiarities of the country's development in the past century. Attention is drawn to the discrepancy between the seriously undermined positions of the country in industrial production, international trade and the monetary sphere, on the one hand, and the weakening, but still very strong positions in the export of capital, as well as the continuing role of London as one of the leading financial and commodity exchange centers. In the global economy, the UK ranks fifth. It accounts for 4.2% of total GDP and 1% of the world's population, and per capita accounts for almost $22,000 of GDP. In terms of industrial production, the UK is in fifth place among developed economies, in terms of foreign investment it is in second place in the world. It still remains one of the largest powers, has a serious influence on the development of international economic and political relations. uk geographic rural industry

Features of economic development. Home distinctive feature The macroeconomic development of the country is that it does not develop on the basis of the principles of the social market economy like Germany or France, but uses the neoliberal, Anglo-Saxon model of development. It is characterized by the predominance of free private enterprise. The share of the private sector in the country's total output exceeds 80%. The private sector provides over 75% of all employment in the country. UK government policy provides the most favorable conditions for the development of entrepreneurship. Sectoral structure of the economy. The structure of the UK economy is as follows: agriculture, forestry and fishing - 1.8% of GDP and 2.1% of the total labor force; industry and construction - 31.4% of GDP and 26.4% of employees; services - 66.8% of GDP and 71.5% of employees. In the latter indicator, the UK surpasses most European countries and is approaching the US. The sectors of financial, insurance, telecommunications and business services demonstrate the greatest dynamism. The role of the manufacturing industry has decreased. Major shifts are taking place in the manufacturing industry itself. The role of new science-intensive industries is growing: chemical (primarily low-tonnage chemistry), electrical engineering, electronics, aerospace, instrumentation, and production of equipment for offshore oil production. In terms of the development of biotechnology, Britain is second only to the United States. Engineering and transport, manufactured goods and chemicals are the UK's main exports. Since the 1970s, oil production has not only reduced the import of petroleum products, but also brought significant profits in trade. British Petroleum is the largest industrial corporation in the UK and ranks second in Europe. Britain carries out 10% of world exports of services - banking, insurance, brokerage, advisory, as well as in the field of computer programming. The UK imports 6 times more manufactured goods than raw materials. The United States is the UK's largest exporter. Seven of the top ten suppliers of goods to the UK are EU countries. The British economy is highly internationalized. Over 15% of its GDP is sold abroad, and the import quota exceeds 20%. The country's economy is characterized by intra-industry specialization with a wide development of detailed and complex technological specialization. Although there are no sharp regional contrasts in the level of development in the country, 10 economic regions are distinguished in it according to the degree of development of productive forces and industrial specialization, the features of the formation of the economy, the predominance of the existing territorial and production relations: South-Eastern (metropolitan), West Midland, East Midland, Lancashire, Yorkshire, North East, North West, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland. Foreign economic relations. The place of Great Britain in the international division of labor has changed even in comparison with the middle of the century. Changes in the structure of the economy were accompanied by significant shifts in the structure of foreign economic relations. The predominant form of the country's participation in world trade is the sale on the foreign market and the import of manufactured products. Due to the increase in the export of North Sea oil, the share of finished products and semi-finished products in commodity exports reached 86%. For cars and vehicles accounts for 48% of exports. The importance of products from the aerospace, chemical and electronic industries is growing in it, and at the same time, the share of textile goods is decreasing. The involvement in the international circulation of electronic computers is very high, about 90% of the industry's products are exported abroad. More than 70% of the products of the chemical industry, more than half of the instrument-making products are exported. Among the sectors of general engineering with a very high export orientation are tractor building, the production of textile and mining equipment. Great Britain occupies one of the first places in the world in terms of arms exports. Shifts in the commodity structure of foreign trade were accompanied by changes in its geographical direction. By the end of the century - in 1999 - 85% of exports and 82% of imports came from developed countries. In recent decades, there has been a "Europeanization" of Great Britain's foreign trade relations - a process that has especially intensified after its entry into the EU. Share Western Europe in British exports reached 63%, including the EU - almost 59%. Specific gravity this region in imports was 54%. Britain's foreign economic relations have a vast "economic periphery" abroad. Unlike other large European countries, the involvement of the UK in international production is much higher than in world trade: The share of British TNCs 146 of the 5,000 largest European firms by market capitalization in foreign direct investment is about 2.5 times higher than the country's share in world trade. Unemployment rate in the UK in 2013 is 3.9%. Such data are provided in the message of the National Bureau of Statistics of the country. The unemployment rate in the UK, calculated according to the standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO). The indicator reached its lowest value in more than three years. Minimum wage in Britain it is calculated at a minimum of below the subsistence level and is only 6 pounds 19 pence per hour. These earnings have to pay taxes and make contributions to pension funds. Thus, a fifth of the workers of the United Kingdom were below the poverty line. It is especially difficult for the poorly paid workers of "public catering" and retail trade: waiters, bartenders and sellers. Little better for security guards, cleaners and social workers caring for the disabled and seriously ill. Most of all living below the poverty line was found in Northern Ireland and Wales - there are 23 percent of them. In London, 570,000 people fell below the subsistence level.

The material contains information about the economy and economic development states. The article points to the most significant export items that bring a significant share of the profits to the country's budget. An idea is being formed that the UK is among the leaders among countries in terms of economic development.

The development of the UK economy

Great Britain - refers to the states with high level economic development. Over the past two decades, the English economy has seen such transformations as:

reduction of the public sector;
downgrade tax rates for individuals and legal entities;
the economy was regulated in order to reduce government spending.

In terms of energy reserves, England is on the first position in Europe. This is due to the fact that the state is the largest producer of oil and gas.

Rice. 1. Gas production in England.

An important source of income for the country is exports.

Coal mining is recognized as a historically significant economic process to this day. Today, volumes are constantly declining.

The economic development of England is such that the country is in seventh position among countries with developed economies.

Economy of Great Britain

The British economy is highly internationalized. More than 15% of GDP is sold outside the country. The English economy is characterized by intra-industry specialization with extensive development of detailed and complex technological specialization.

Rice. 3. Economic Regions of Great Britain on the map.

According to the level of development in England, a dozen economic regions are distinguished, which differ in the level of development of productive forces and industrial specialization, the specifics of the development of the economy, and the dominance of the existing territorial-production relationships.

Great Britain is in second position after the United States in terms of the number of Nobel Prizes received by the country's scientists.

The development of the modern economic sector of Great Britain is closely connected with high technology. England is one of the leading states in the world scientific and technical progress, and among the European powers, the island state has the greatest scientific and technical potential.

What have we learned?

In the article, we briefly got acquainted with the UK economy. We learned which areas of export are priority for the country. We found out that England holds a leading position in the field of scientific and technical progress and high technologies.

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Brief economic characteristics of Great Britain

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country, one of the top five most developed countries in the world. In terms of energy reserves, the UK ranks first in Europe and is a major producer of oil and gas

The main feature of the country's macroeconomic development is that the UK has chosen a neoliberal, "Anglo-Saxon" model of development. It is characterized by the predominance of free private enterprise (more than 80% of total production). The private sector provides over 75% of all jobs. The policy of the British government is aimed at creating the most favorable opportunities for the development of private business. However, with a general increase in the living standards of the population in the country, there is a significant polarization of income, when 10% of the population owns 54% of the national wealth.

Great Britain in the international division of labor acts as a supplier of industrial products. However, the economic role of the UK in modern world is determined not only by industrial, but also banking, insurance, ship-freight and other commercial activities. About 30% of its gross national product comes from the manufacturing industry and 45% from the service sector, including transport and communications, retail, insurance, banks and other financial institutions, healthcare and education. The share of the service sector in the gross national product is growing much faster than the share of the manufacturing industry, which is even somewhat declining. The share has also decreased Agriculture- up to 3% and extractive industry - up to 1.4%.

The export of industrial goods and the export of "services" for the development of the UK economy is of exceptional importance, which together give 26% of the gross national product. An important source of income for the British international monopolies has been and remains the export of capital to other countries.

With the reorientation of British industry to the latest industries, the external market began to play a greater role for its development than cheap labor. IN Lately This market is found by the British monopolies in the developed capitalist countries, whose share in the export of British capital exceeded three-fifths. The export of British capital to developing countries is still large: it accounts for almost half of the capital exported to these countries by Western European states. At the same time, the contributions of foreign monopolies to the British economy are growing rapidly.

Great Britain, having lost almost all of its colonies, has lost many economic advantages: control over the world's richest deposits - non-ferrous metals, oil, important sources of natural rubber, cheap agricultural products, guaranteed markets for manufactured goods and unlimited opportunities for the export of capital to all continents.

Being indebted to the US and its "junior" partner and having assumed significant expenses for NATO, Great Britain is forced to put up with the penetration of American capital into its economy, the role of which is growing every year. The money of magnates from across the ocean is invested mainly in rapidly developing modern industries. American firms produce more than half of automobiles, 3/5 of computers and the same proportion of medicines. More than half of the companies involved in oil and gas exploration in the North Sea are also American.