AIDS Development

Development is often looked upon in economical terms. Hence research tries to investigate how one country can produce or sell more in order to increase its GDP and thereby realize development. My work does not exclude these considerations but focuses on health as an important aspect of development. I investigate why South Africans would place their lives at risk with full knowledge of AIDS by not using freely available protection when having sex. Once an individual is lost to AIDS South Africa does not just loose an income earner to a family but years of experience, skills and that individual¿s personal networks. I suggest that the solution is not in the problem. I hypothesize that there is a historical explanation to the problem. The solution is in looking at the governing dynamics of the individual South African's unmet social needs and what informs his or her behavior. A careful historical investigation of politics, economics and private cultural behavior offers an insight on how AIDS should be approached in South Africa. In these communities the long term fear of dying from AIDS is less threatening than the immediate socio-economical threats.