Geography - Development EQ1 Flashcards
What does development include?
Economic growth: Increase in a country’s wealth over time. Indicator of health and whether development is taking place.
Standard of living: Goods and services available to people. e.g. electricity, clean water, good healthcare services and good transport.
Quality of life: Well-being of the people. Dependent on political + religious freedom, environment, happiness (difficult to measure)
What are the indicators of development?
Economic: Gross National Income, Gross Domestic Product
(Social) Health: Life expectancy, infant mortality rate, water supply and sanitation
(Social) Education: Expected years of schooling, Mean years of schooling, adult literacy rate
Composite: Human Development Index
Others: Happiness, political freedom
What is GNI?
Gross National Income. Assesses a country’s wealth through goods and services produced in a year.
Limitations:
- doesn’t show individuals or regions
- informal economic activities not considered
- other aspects of development not considered —> social and environmental costs brought about not included (can affect standard of living and quality of life)
What is infant mortality rate?
Rate at which the number of babies less than one year of age dies for every 1000 births in a year.
What is the Human Development Index?
It is a composite indicator which compiles multiple indicators into a single index. Used due to development having many facets. Focuses on economic well-being, health and education standards.
The closer to 1, the higher the level of development.
What are the advantages and limitations of the Human Development Index?
Pros:
- Comprehensive method as it takes many factors into account
- Easily comparable
- Indicators are easy to obtain
Cons:
- Data is easier to obtain in HICs
- Data in LICs may be unreliable
- Does not consider other important aspects
- Takes time to publish data, may be late to display rapid changes (time lag)
What are the inequalities between urban and rural areas?
Wealthy resident can afford education and healthcare, the poor are trapped in poverty. Gap between rich and poor gets wider. Migrants from rural areas might move to the city however end up in squatter houses and slums.
