Development terms Flashcards
Development
Economic development is a measure of a country’s wealth and how it is generated (for example agriculture is considered less economically advanced then banking).
Human development measures the access the population has to wealth, jobs, education, nutrition, health, leisure and safety - as well as political and cultural freedom. Material elements, such as wealth and nutrition, are described as the standard of living. Health and leisure are often referred to as quality of life.
Slavery
Any system in which principles of property law are applied to people, allowing individuals to own, buy and sell other individuals.
Colonisation
The action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area. This was very common action among colonial powers which were the most developed countries. This still has impacts on formerly colonised countries today which are usually poorly developed.
Development indicators
Geographers use a series of development indicators to compare the development of one region against another. For example:
Health: do the population have access to medical care? What level of healthcare is available - basic or advanced?
Industry: what type of industry dominates? LEDCs focus on primary industries, such as farming, fishing and mining whilst MEDCs focus on secondary industries, such as manufacturing and the most advanced countries tend to focus more on tertiary or service industries, such as banking and information technology.
Education: do the population have access to education? Is it free? What level of education is available (ie primary, secondary or further/higher education)?
GNI
Gross National Income measures income received by a country both domestically and from overseas. It is commonly used as an economic development indicator.
HDI
The Human Development Index was created to emphasise that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone. It is compromised of life expectancy, access and quality of education and GNI.
Life Expectancy
The number of years a new-born baby is expected to live in a certain country (basically average age of death in a country). Can be used as a development indicator since it suggests access and quality of health services and living conditions.
Literacy rate
The percentage of adults who can read and write. Can be used as a development indicator since it suggests access to education in a country.
Democracy
A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. Considered to be more developed.
Transparency of the government
How much does the government share about deals, rulings, etc.? How corrupt are they? The more transparent a govt., the more developed their country is considered to be.
Gender equality
The state in which access to rights or opportunities is unaffected by gender. The more emancipated (generally) women are in a country, the more developed that country is considered to be.
Resources
When a country is rich in natural resources, it can use these not only domestically, but also sell to other countries. However, some countries, are very rich in resources but do not have the money to extract them and therefore can’t benefit from them.
Climatic factors
The more extreme the weather patterns in a country, the harder it will be for it to develop.
Landlocked
When a country is landlocked, it does not have access to the sea which is very important for trade, so they may have less opportunity to sell goods to a large amount of countries.
% of people employed in agriculture
The larger the percentage, the less developed a country is considered to be since more developed countries have replaced a large amount of human labour in agriculture with technology.
Clarke-Fisher model
A graph that shows how the advancement of a country’s economy affects the proportion of people employed in each of the four industry sectors.
Primary industry
The industry concerned with extracting natural resources from the ground or the sea, e.g. agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining and quarrying. The output of such primary production often needs further processing. If a country has a large percentage of its workers employed in this sector, it is likely to be a poorly developed country.
Secondary industry
The manufacturing, assembling and processing of goods using the raw materials from primary industry.
Tertiary industry
Does not produce anything but involves work in the service sector of the economy. It includes activities associated with commerce and distribution (wholesaling and retailing) as well as banking, insurance, administration, transport, tourism, health, education and entertainment services.
Quaternary industry
A sector of the industry which uses modern technology to carry out research, handle information and give advice to other industries.
Globalization
The trend where people are becoming more interconnected and interdependent. Information technology is driving this trend by enabling companies to move money and ideas instantly. The ways in which goods and information are moved between countries are becoming easier.
TNC’s
Trans-National Corporations are large companies which have branch plants throughout the world; their headquarters are often found in MEDCs.
Bhopal, India, 1984
During the night of December 2-3, 1984, a storage tank at the Union Carbide pesticide plant leaked gas into the densely populated city of Bhopal, India. Killing an estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people, the Bhopal Gas Leak was one of the worst industrial accidents in history. This demonstrates the devastating effects that TNC’s can have on countries where they have factories when cutting corners to make the most profit possible.
Rana Plaza, Bangladesh, 2013
The collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building in Bangladesh is the worst ever industrial incident to hit the garment industry. On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building came crashing down, killing 1,134 people and leaving thousands more injured.
Inequalities between countries
Many factors give some countries tremendous advantages that enable them to be very developed, but others face huge disadvantages, make it hard for them to become as developed as other countries - this is called the Development Gap.
Inequalities within countries
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Triangular Graphs
On triangular graphs, we are able to plot the percentage of workers employed in the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in a country.
The world is shrinking
Transport is much quicker and easier nowadays. Communication is as well and people from around the world are able to connect. Basically globalisation.
FDI
Foreign Direct Investment is an investment in the form of a controlling ownership in a business in one country by an entity based in another country.
Repatriation of profits
When a company has, for example, a factory in another country, profits made there will be sent back to the company’s country of origin.
Loan and debt repayment
This is the burden of businesses, but if wealthy and successful enough, the company can still make outstanding profits.
Westernisation
When a country, person, or system adopts or is influenced by the cultural, economic, or political systems of Europe and North America. A consequence of globalisation.
Sweatshop labour
A factory or workshop, especially in the clothing industry, where manual workers are employed at very low wages for long hours and under poor conditions. Commonly TNC owned factories in poorly developed countries.
TNC’s vs. countries
Some TNC’s have a larger economy than entire countries (e.g. if Walmart were a country, its revenues would make it on par with the 25th largest economy in the world)
Dilution of culture
When traditional ethnic practices, culture and beliefs are lost due to globalisation and the take-over of dominant cultures. My cause loss of language.
Outsourcing
When a country obtains (goods or a service) by contract from an other country. The country itself is probably unable to sustain its own population. Wealthy countries are able to do this easily but poorer countries have a harder time being able to do this.
