2a - Development Flashcards
Define development
Development is a process of change that affects people’s quality of life and is a measure for how advanced a country is
List economic, social and political indicators of development
Economic: GDP, GNI, Gini coefficient, PPP
Social: Literacy rates, Fertility rates/ Infant mortality rates
Political: CPI
Explain what the economic indicators of development are
- GDP (gross domestic product) is the total value of goods & services a country produces in a year, often divided by the population to give GDP per capita
- GNI (gross national income) is the total value of GDP alongside trade income
- PPP is similar to GDP but takes into account the different costs of goods and services in different countries
- Gini coefficient is a measurement of inequality from 0 (equal) to 1 (total inequality)
Explain what the political indicators of development are
CPI (corruption perceptions index) is a measurement of the level of corruption believed to exist in the public sector on a scale of 1-100 - lower score, more corruptions
State some problems with some indicators of development
Single indicators can be misleading because if used on their own they can give the wrong picture
GDP & GNI per capita do not show wealth inequalities
CPI are an opinion based surveys so may be subjective
Explain a composite indicator of development
HDI (human development indicator) - is a measurement of development using life expectancy, education levels (average years of schooling) and income per capita
Explain the social indicators of development
Literacy rates are the % of population of a given age group that can read and write, giving indicators of education received
Fertility rates are the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime
Infant mortality rates refer to the death of a baby between birth and one year of age per 1000 births
As countries develop, what usually happen to them and why?
Fertility and birth rates decrease - knowledge & access to contraception, increased family planning and education
Death rates decrease and maternal mortality rates - increased quality of health care, more sanitation
Infant mortality rates decrease - no children needed to compensate for deaths due to good health care
What are population pyramids and describe some?
Population pyramids show life expectancy, birth rates, infant morality rates as well as gender ratios
Developed countries would have a narrow base, wide middle
Developing countries would have a wide base which rapidly narrows
What may cause changes in population pyramids?
Imbalances in gender may indicate male dominant war deaths or male dominant migration for work
Fluctuations can indicate baby booms after war time periods
What is Rostow’s modernisation theory?
Rostow’s modernisation theory predicts how a country’s level of economic development changes over time, describing how a country moves from relying on the primary industry, through the secondary industry to tertiary and quaternary industry
Consists of: Traditional society (subsistence), preconditions to take off (manufacturing develops), take off (industrialisation), drive to (economy grows) maturity, mass consumption (lots of trade)
What are problems with Rostow’s modernisation theory?
- The model gives no explanation about how a country can move from one stage to the next
- It implies that the high mass consumption is a desirable goal but many would argue its unsustainable and leads to many environmental problems
- It assumes all countries develop the same way
Describe Frank’s dependancy theory (core-periphery model)
Idea that developed (core) countries get rich at the developing (periphery) counties’ expense
The core benefits from importing cheap raw materials and exporting expensive, manufactured goods
The periphery has to export low value raw materials and import high value goods
Free trade (capitalism) prevents developing/emerging countries form developing
What are problems with Frank’s dependancy theory
- Not all colonised countries remained poor eg Singapore
- Some socialist countries are still poor eg Cuba
- Sometimes trade benefits countries eg South Korea
- It doesnt take into account other factors which may limit development such as conflict, natural disasters or lack of resources
List some causes of inequality
Climate, topography, education, health, colonialism, neo-colonialism, systems of governance, international relations
How can climate & topography cause global inequalities?
Poor climate & steep land both mean lower food production, leading to lower quality of life & malnutrition. Also there will be fewer crops to sell so less income
Its difficult to develop infrastructure on steep land
How can education & health cause global inequalities?
Educated people, more skilled workforce, more countries can produce more goods and offer more services bringing money into the country through trade/investment
More income so more tax, more development
Unsanitary conditions & poor health care means people suffer from diseases, so are less able to work and contribute to the economy
Money has to be focused on this, and not development
How can colonialism & neo-colonialism cause global inequalities?
Countries that were colonised (ruled by foreign country) are often at a lower development as there was exploitation of raw materials and a racial bias left
Neo-colonialism is when powerful, rich countries indirectly control/influence other countries
TNCs can exploit cheap labour and raw materials of poorer countries
International organisations may offer conditional loans which mean poorer countries have to develop in ways they want them to
How can systems of governance & international relations cause global inequalities?
Governments can put development policies in place without anyone stopping them which may/may not be beneficial
Corrupt governments can hinder development by taking money
Countries with bad international relations are more likely to get bad trade agreements and rejected loans for projects
What are top-down development strategies?
Top down development projects are large scale projects often focused on driving economic development or significant infrastructure
Usually run by the government or large organisations (TNCs or inter-governmental organisations (IGOs))
Sophisticated technology required
What are advantages of top down development projects?
Government funding for normally unaffordable projects
Creates large number of jobs
Can imporve quality of life and economy
Attracts further investment, maybe overseas as FDI
What are disadvantages of top down development projects?
Frequently unsuccessful as they don’t meet the actual needs of people who do not drive decision making
Uneven benefits can increase inequality
Perhaps corrupt gov, maybe lots of debt
Energy intensive projects using scarce resources, releasing GHG and loss of ecosystems
What are bottom up development strategies?
Small scale projects focused on improving the lives of local people, linked to real needs of people
Run by non governmental organisations (NGO)
Uses intermediate technology (simple, practical tools)
What are the advantages of bottom up development projects?
Very cheap compared to top down
Local materials used and local people employed
Meets the needs of people local to the project
Labour intensive - creating jobs for local
What are disadvantages of bottom up development projects?
Small scale projects so may not be beneficial to a lot of people
Relies on moneys from NGO who rely on money from donors - unreliable
Different organisations may not work together so may be inefficient
Define globalisation
Globalisation is the process of all the world’s systems and cultures becoming more integrated because of the movement of money, people, businesses & ideas between countries
How can TNCs increase globalisation?
TNCs (act in many countries) increase globalisation by linking together countries through production and sale of goods, bringing culture to different countries
How do the government increase globalisation?
Governement increase it by promoting free trade meaning its easier to move goods, money and services
They compete with each other to attract TNC investments as it brings jobs, increases tax and promotes economic growth
Why do some people think globalisation increases global inequality?
Free trade benefits richer countries as TNC profits normally returns to their headquarters in developed countries
Richer countries benefit from freer movement of labour - skilled workers, are attracted by higher wages and better living conditions leading to less in poorer countries
