2B.1 Development Gap Flashcards
Define development.
The rate of economic and social growth and change of places.
Describe the main difference between MEDCs, LEDCs and NICs.
MEDCs (More Economically Developed Countries) are richer and more industrialised. LEDCs (Less Economically Developed Countries) are poorer and less industrialised. NICs (Newly Industrialised Countries) are developing rapidly and making a transition towards MEDC status.
What is GNI per person?
Gross National Income - the total that a country produces every year, converted into US dollars, divided by the population of the country.
State and explain 2 economic indicators other than GNI.
- Vehicles per 1000 people - A measure of the number of cars owned by people helps us to understand the wealth of a country. EG. Germany has 528 cars per 1000 whereas China has 8.
- Percentage of people employed in primary activities - A high number of people working with raw materials or resources indicates an LEDC. EG. UK has only 2% working in agriculture whereas Vietnam has 73%.
State 2 advantages of economic indicators.
- GNI per person is given in US dollars, making it easy to compare the wealth and development of countries which have different currencies.
- It is relatively easy to calculate using government based data.
State 2 disadvantages of economic indicators.
- As GNI is based on averages, it hides the existence of widespread poverty in some rich countries and great wealth in some poor countries.
- It does not take account of currency fluctuations as the purchasing power of one American dollar varies from country to country.
Describe 3 social indicators.
- Birth rate - the number of live births per 1000 people per year
- Death rate - the number of deaths per 1000 people per year
- % adult literacy rate - the percentage of people aged over 15 who can read and write
State 2 advantages of social indicators.
- Life expectancy can help us understand the quality of people’s lives in a country. If it is high this indicates that people live longer and that the healthcare system must be of a high standard. However a low life expectancy indicates that people may have a poor diet and access to few medical services.
- Adult literacy rate provides us with an insight into levels of education within a country. A high figure indicates that education is provided for everyone in society who may go on to get good jobs. A low value indicates that many people may only have primary education or possibly that girls do not have access to schooling. These people may have fewer skills which may disadvantage a country.
State 2 problems with social indicators.
- Information is obtained from a census or household survey which may not be accurate.
- There is a lack of agreement of which social indicators are best to measure development.
What is HDI?
Human Development Index - Expressed as a number between 0 and 1, with countries ranked according to their score. A high HDI indicates a high level of development.
How is HDI measured?
It combines 3 measures of health, living standards and education:
• Life expectancy
• Mean years / Expected years of schooling
• GNI per capita
Explain why HDI is more accurate measure of development.
Development is about change and growth and a balanced way of measuring it is to combine wealth and social indicators. GNI gives us an idea of how much wealth exists in a country although it does not explain how money is distributed. Also using social indicators like life expectancy and years of schooling gives us a better indication of healthcare and educational services, and the quality of life people have in a country. The HDI is the best indicator to use because it is a balance between aspects of economic and social development.
Define development gap.
The division between wealthy and poorer areas, in particular the disparity between MEDCs and LEDCs.
Explain the HISTORICAL factors hindering development in LEDCs.
Colonialism and stealing resources:
• Colonialism is the system in which since the 16th Century, many European countries such as Britain, Spain, Portugal and France forcibly took over the running of countries elsewhere in the world and took resources and wealth from them.
• The European countries such as the UK took minerals like iron ore, gold and diamonds back to their own countries and left the colonies such as Congo and Nigeria with a lack of resources.
• EG. Europeans first arrived in Ghana in 1471, as they wanted their valuable resource of gold. By 1650 the slave trade was even more important because Europeans needed workers for their sugar and tobacco plantations in the Caribbean. By 1901 the Gold Coast was a British colony, and they took gold, metal ores, diamonds, ivory, timber, pepper, corn and cocoa. Ghana gained independence in 1957 but lacked factories, services and skilled workers.
Explain the ENVIRONMENTAL factors hindering development in LEDCs.
- Natural disasters such as droughts, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes often hinder economic development, especially in LEDCs where they are often unprepared for such hazards and do not have the finances to cover the aftermath of disasters (EG. Haiti).
- 60% of Ghana’s workforce are farmers so soil is a key resource, but the soil is being ruined due to desertification caused by drought, chopping down of trees, heavy grazing by livestock and erosion of bare soil by wind and rain. Without fertile soil, farmers cannot buy and sell crops which hinders development.
