Global Development Flashcards
Defining Development
There are contrasting ways of defining development, and different factors contribute to the development of a country.
What is development?
Development is a term that measures how advanced a country is compared to another. It is about the standard of living in a country - whether people can afford the things they need to survive. However, it’s not just about money. Development also includes the quality of life within a country.
How a low-income country might develop
- Investment in farming - higher yields to eat and sell.
- Electricity grid reaches rural areas.
- New roads and railways - connect remote areas to cities.
- Literacy rises - better job prospects.
- Gender equality improves.
Factors affecting human development of a country
○ Social - access to health, education, housing, recreation
○ Economic - personal wealth/income, growth of economy, types of industry, cost of living, employment rate and job security
○ Food and water security
○ Cultural - democracy, work-life balance, traditional/imported culture balance
○ Technological - electricity, internet access, better farm/industry machinery
Food Security
An imbalance between food production and food consumption means many countries lack food security. This means people lack:
○ availability - of enough food all the time
○ access - to enough of the right food to stay healthy
○ knowledge - to make the best use of what they have.
Measuring Development
Development is measured in different ways, including Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the Human Development Index (HDI). There are also measures of inequality and indices of political corruption.
The level of development in a country or region can be measured using statistics for:
○ economic indicators
○ social and political measures.
Some things are easy to measure (e.g. birth rate). Others are harder to measure (e.g. how safe people feel).
Development Indicators
○ GDP - Gross Domestic Product is the total value of goods and services produced by a country in a year. It is often divided by the population of that country to give GDP per capita (per person).
○ HDI - the Human Development Index puts together a country’s Gross National Income (like GDP per capita), life expectancy and average years in education to produce an indicator of the country’s development level.
Political Corruption
Quality of government has a big impact on development. The Corruption Perceptions Index grades the quality of government from ‘highly corrupt’ to ‘very clean’.
Patterns of Development
Globally, development is uneven. A range of factors has led to variations in the level of development between countries and within countries - including the UK.
Describe the global pattern of GDP per capita as shown on the choropleth map opposite.
The general pattern shows higher GDP per capita tends to be found in countries in the northern hemisphere, with the USA having one of the highest GDP per capita US$50,000 - 60,0000. The lowest GDP per capita tends to be found in the southern hemisphere, especially in Central Africa.
Variations in the UK
Development levels vary within the UK. In London and South East England, people generally have a higher standard of living than people in the rest of the UK.
Factors affecting developing level
○ Global inequalities
- Physical - size of country, natural hazards, landlocked or not, tropical or temperate climate
- Historical - colonial links, trading relationships
- Economic - type of economy, debt, investment in health and condition
○ Inequality within the UK
- Physical - remoteness or accessibility of area, the potential for industry
- Historical - links with particular industry, impact of deindustrialisation
- Economic - employment rates and salaries, house prices, state of infrastructure
Uneven Development
Uneven global development has had different impacts on people’s quality of life in different parts of the world.
Uneven Impact
○ Employment - Employment in developing countries is limited, with people working in lower paid, more labour-intensive jobs. –> Jobs in the informal sector, like street stalls, are less secure and have fewer benefits.
○ Food and water security - Developing countries lack access to food and clean water, resulting in malnourishment and dehydration. –> Lack of water limits people’s ability to grow the food they need.
○ Technology - Less investment in technology, with few people who have the skills to use it. –> Appropriate technology can be more effective in meeting local needs in a sustainable way.
○ Education - Literacy rates are low in developing world, with few schools and poor attendance rates. –> People with the least education have the largest families, which can lead to debt and malnutrition.
○ Access to housing - Many people around the world don’t have access to housing. –> More than 30% of the world’s population live in slums. Each year, more than 6 million children die before they reach their 5th birthday.
○ Health - Healthcare is limited in the developing world, with fewer doctors and poor facilities.
International Strategies
A range of international strategies (international aid and inter-governmental agreements) attempts to reduce uneven development.
International Aid
International aid is where one country voluntarily transfers resources to another country. It provides vital income for many poor countries, and helps reduce uneven global development. It can:
○ pay for imports, e.g. machinery and oil, which are vital to development
○ support the accumulation of enough capital to invest in industry and infrastructure
○ address a shortage of the skills needed for development.
Inter-governmental agreements
These are agreements made between two or more governments to cooperate in some way.
Trade
Trade agreements such as removing trade barriers can reduce uneven development by helping developing countries to increase trade: for example, open trading between the EU and China.
Fair Trade
Fair trade producers in developing countries work together to deal directly with retailers in developed countries, get fairer conditions and get a better price for their goods. Fair trade makes up less than 1% of total world trade.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
FDI is when a company invests in a company in a different country, and has some control over what that company does.
Advantages:
○ Brings in investment
○ Brings in big brands - widens consumer market
○ Foreign companies may be able to pay more - pushes up wages
Disadvantages:
○ Big brands can outsell local products
○ FDI not always reliable - investors can pull out
○ Lack of regulation can have negative implications, e.g. environmental consequences and industrial accidents
