Demographic Transition Model + Causes and consequences of uneven development + strategies to reduce the development gap Flashcards
Describe the first stage of the Demographic Transition Model
The total population is low
High birth rates due to lack of contraception/family planning
High death rates due to poor healthcare, poor diet and famine
High infant mortality which leads people to have more children so that some children survive to adulthood
Example:
Rural communities in LICs
Traditional rainforest tribes in parts of Indonesia, Brazil and Malaysia, have small groups of people live separately with little contact with the outside world. They have a high birth rate and death rate
Describe the second stage of the Demographic Transition model
Even the world’s poorest countries have had a decline in death rate due to global efforts to tackle hunger and diseases like smallpox.
The total population starts to rise rapidly. There is a natural increase in population.
Birth rates remain high as people continue to have large families due to a lack of contraception, childrean are needed for work, a lack of education about contraception, high infant mortality, so they have more babies so some will survive
Death rates decrease as a result of improved diets, better healthcare, lower infant mortality, increased access to clean water and global efforts to tackle hunger and diseases like smallpox.
Death rates are still high compared to HICs.
Example
E.g. Sierra Leone death rate fell from 33:1000 per year in the 1960s to 17:1000 per year in 2013.
LIC countries are in stage 2
Describe the third stage of the Demographic Transition Model
The total population continues to increase but the rate of growth begins to slow
Birth rate begins to fall rapidly due to increased birth control (Improved healthcare therefore more contraception), family planning, increased cost of raising children, low infant mortality rate
Death rate still decreasing but at a slower rate as improvements in medicine, hygiene, diet and water quality continue
Example: Nigeria a NEE, is experiencing rapid economic growth. The death rate is much lower than the birth rate, therefore the country’s population is growing rapidly
E.g. fertility rates in Bangladesh have gone from 7 in 1970 to 2.2 in 2016.
NEE countries in stage 3
Describe stage 4 of the Demographic Transition Model
The total population is high and is increasing slowly
Birth rate is low and fluctuating due to accessible birth control and the choice of having fewer children as well as delaying the age women start to have children
Death rate is low and fluctuating
Example: USA is one of the most developed countries in the world and has a good-quality health care which means death rates are low (8 per 1000). Women tend to have smaller families, choose to study and follow careers which keeps the birth rate lower at 13 per 1000. Population growth is due mainly to immigration
HIC countries are in stage 4
Describe Stage 5 of the Demographic Transition model
The total population starts to slowly decline as the death rate exceeds the birth rate
Birth rate is low and slowly decreasing
Death rate is low and fluctuating
The whole population is expected to decline if all countries are at stage 5
(projection into the future)
Example: South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the world at 0.81 children per woman. In comparison the average rate across the world’s HICs is 1.6 children per woman. A country needs at least 2.1 children per couple to keep their population at the same size without relying on migration
What is the problem with the Demographic Transition Model
The DTM is not always accurate:
Rising death rates in HIC countries with ageing populations (more old people dying)
Increased death rates in NEEs, HICs or LICs due to wars/conflicts
Cultures which are resistant to change and still have big families
What causes rapid population growth in developing areas
Increase in birth rate and a decrease in death rate
Cultural decisions (boys might be more prized than girls - families want a male child)
No access to contraception products
State some symptoms of overpopulation
What does overpopulation cause
Falling Incomes
Environmental Degradation
Reduced health and happiness
Explain the impact of falling incomes on economic and social development
Impact of falling economy - high unemployment, out-migration and lower wages because too many people are choosing too few jobs so employers can pay less
Explain the impact of environmental degradation on economic and social development
Impact of environmental degradation - Overgrazing of the land and water supplies can lead to soil erosion in areas on the fringes of hot deserts
Explain the impact of reduced health and happiness on economic and social development
Malnourishment due to insufficient food and spread of disease (people’s immune systems weaken when they are hungry)
What can the causes of uneven development be grouped in
Physical
Economic
Historical
State some historical causes of uneven development
During 1700s and 1800s, most of ‘global south’ was colonised by European nations (Britain, France and Spain) - in the search of looking for labour (slave trade), resources and exerting power within Europe.
Countries (particularly in South America, Asia and Africa) gained independence in the 20th Century but were often left with power struggles, no education and conflict
Conflicts exist due to the countries being divided and re-assembled by European countries - religious and ethnic groups do not match up - e.g. 5 million deaths in Congo, Uganda and Rwanda in 1990s due to civil conflicts
State some economic factors which causes uneven development
TNCs buy materials and food from LICs at low prices which jeopardise economic development.
World Trade Organisation has been criticised for not doing enough to make global trade of food and raw materials fairer.
Corrupt leaders of LICs profit personally from selling cheap goods to TNCs.
Food prices fluctuate massively depending on crop number and quality. Cocoa beans halved in value due to overproduction, which affects Ghana’s development
State the physical factors which causes uneven development
Coastlines - There is a strong link between the lack of coast and lower levels of development. The world’s 45 landlocked countries are all LICs or NEEs (with a few exceptions). ). Of the 15 lowest ranking HDI countries, 8 have no coastline. These countries have no ports and cannot trade easily
Natural Hazards - In 2010 an earthquake hit Haiti. 230,000 died and the country has struggled to recover since. Countries like Japan, Iceland and Italy have managed to overcome this and are still HICs.
Climate - This link is not clear as hot and dry Chad is poor but Saudi Arabia is rich.
Small countries develop more slowly due to having fewer human and natural resources
