Factors Of Uneven Development Flashcards
what are the three economic factors that can cause uneven development?
lots of debt
poor trade links
an economy based on primary products
name 2 historical causes of uneven development
colinisation
conflict
how does an economy based on primary products cause uneven development
primary products like timber and metal are sold for less profit than manufactured goods
the prices of primary products also fluctuate sometimes falls below the cost of production
e.g. the price of coca dropped below the cost of production in Ghana. this generates a negative multiplier effect as many farmers had to rely on subsidies from the government. wealthy countries also had to force down the price of raw materials they buy from poorer countries leading to a reduction in profits a
how did conflict cause uneven development?
war, especially civil war can slow or reduce development even after the war is over. conflict can generate a negative multiplier effect as money is spent on arms and training soldiers rather than development. during the conflict, people are killed and damage is done to infrastructure and property. this results in damaged water pipes and no electricity. which means that healthcare and education are disrupted which can lead to an increase in infant mortality rates and a decrease in literacy rate resulting in a low quality of life
e.g. in 2008 Syria had an HDI value of 0.6. in 2016 after the war this had dropped to 0.54
how is wealth a consequence of uneven development
people in more developed countries have higher incomes than those in less developed countries.
wealth can impact peoples standard of living
how is health a consequence of uneven development
health care in more developed countries is usually better than in less developed countries
people in HICs live longer
infant mortality rate is much higher in less developed countries
In LICs and NEEs, the lack of adequate healthcare can mean that people die from disease that could be easily treated in HICs
how is international migration a consequence of uneven development
many people from LICs and NEEs move to HICs to escape conflict or to improve their quality of life
for example over 130 000 people move from Mexico to the USA legally each year in search for better paid jobs and a higher quality of life
migrant workers contribute to the economies of the HICs they move instead of the LICs they leave, which further increases the development gap
how did colonisation affect uneven development
countries that were colonised are often at a lower level of development when they gain independence
the colonisers removed raw materials and sold back manufactured goods. this means that profits went to colonisers rather than colonised countries, increasing inequality
colonised countries also couldn’t develop there own industries
how did lots of debt cause uneven development
very poor countries borrow money from other countries and independent organisations to help cope with the aftermath of a natural disaster
this money has to be paid back sometimes with interest so there is less for development
how did poor trade links affect uneven development
trade is the exchange of goods and services between countries
world trade patterns (who trades with whom) influence a countries economy and so affects its level of development
if a country has poor trade links ( it trades a small amount with only a few countries) it won’t make a lot of money, so they’ll be less to spend on development.
how does a poor climate affect a countries development?
some countries have really hot, really cold or really dry climate where not much will grow this means that not much food can be produced which leads to malnutrition e.g. chad and Ethiopia
fewer crops means less money to spend on goods and services as less is sold and brought the government gets less money from taxes. this means that there is less money to spend on developing the country e.g. education and healthcare.
how does few raw materials affect a countries development
without many raw materials like coal, oil or metal ores have fewer products to export to other countries
less money is made so less is spent on development
some developing countries have lots of raw materials but cannot afford the infrastructure needed e.g. roads and ports
how do lots of natural disasters affect a countries development?
have to spend a lot of money rebuilding
this means they make less money meaning less for development
reduces the quality of life so government have less to spend on development
how does poor farming land affect a countries development
if the land in a country is steep or has poor soil ( or no soil), then it will be difficult to grow crops or graze animals to produce food. this can have the same affect as a poor climate
