Q&A on the News

Q: Does Haiti have a building code similar to ours?

—Eddie Webster, Dallas

A: Haiti does not have a building code. One of the reasons the earthquake had such a devastating effect was the poor quality of buildings, former top FEMA official Mark Merritt told the Associated Press. Even if Haiti had a building code, the poverty level would make it difficult for residents to afford structures that could withstand earthquakes, said Merritt, president of Washington, D.C.-based disaster consulting firm James Lee Witt Associates, which has an office in Atlanta.

Q: I know there are “third world” countries and recently I have seen “first world” countries referred to (such as the U.S.). What are the “second world” countries and what are the parameters used to define each?

—Pam Buzbee, Marietta

A: Second World refers to the (formerly) communist bloc, essentially Russia and its satellites including North Korea and Cuba, said S. Tamer Cavusgil, director of the Institute of International Business in Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business. Some of these countries – Russia and eastern Europe – have been liberalizing their economies since 1989, so the distinction is not that sharp anymore, he said. Third World has changed as well, as about 30 economies have been engaged in liberalization, rapid economic development and modernization, and are now labeled “emerging markets,” Cavusgil said.