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Beyond Interdependence
FIGURE 3.3 State-of-the-art, industrialized countries
Figure 3.3 attempts to situate a number of current issues in their policy life cycle, from the perspective of Western industrialized countries as a group. Even within this group of nations, of course, priorities differ. Some issues may be in the control phase and others in the implementation phase, while in developing countries the same issues may be at a much earlier stage of recognition and action. The general level of awareness in many developing countries is growing.23 Among opinion and political leaders it is almost as high as in the industrialized countries.24 But it is also different, with a much greater stress on the political imperatives of rapid economic development.25 In many industrialized countries, environmental issues are at or near the top of the political agenda. In developing countries, the politics of environment still have a long way to go before they begin to displace traditional concerns about mainline development. As long as this difference prevails, leaders in developing countries can and will try to