A rise in the standard of living in a country often only seems to benefit cities rather than rural areas. What problems might this difference cause? How might these problems be reduced?

A rise in the standard of living in a country is unquestionably the aim of all developing countries, if not all countries.

However

, there is the danger that the rise in the standard of living only

benefits

a certain few whereas many do not feel the

benefits

at all. Rural

areas

often gain little or none of the

benefits

that

cities

do.

This

difference in those that have and those that don't can cause a large social imbalance that can lead to social inequality, unrest, restrictions and, in the most severe circumstances, civil war. Where

cities

benefit poorer, rural

areas

see no benefit at all and are often forgotten or left behind and catch only a glimpse of the standard of living city-dwellers enjoy.

Cities

are the financial hubs of countries, developing or developed,

such

as London in the UK or Shanghai in China. They bring international trade and have a significant impact on the country's economy.

As a result

, focus on improvement revolves around these financial

epicenters

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epicentres

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and rural

areas

are often forgotten. The consequence is that rural

areas

fall behind and lack the education, work and health

benefits

that

cities

gain. After all, it is important that

cities

maintain their economic contribution to the country. The difference

then

in the standard of living becomes greater and greater. Those in rural

areas

become less likely to attain a high standard of living as, from the outset, the education and facilities lack what the

cities

offer.

This

can cause a societal rift between the city-dwellers and those living in rural

areas

; fundamentally divided between the rich and poor.

This

has a devastating effect and one look at history shows what

this

can ultimately lead to: civil war in Russia and the 1950 revolution in China are prime examples. There are measures that can be taken to avoid

such

an extreme outcome. A concerted effort must be made to allow for social mobility. Facilities for sports, health and education, must be made available in more rural

areas

. The opportunities that city-dwellers have must be made available to those in rural

areas

too. Simple measures

such

as ensuring access to libraries, good schools or even Internet access at least must be in place. Ensuring these measures can be put into effect will go some way in reducing the problems that will occur from the rich-poor, city-rural divide.