Human geography main specification points

Question 1

How has globalisation be accelerated?

Answer 1

• What is globalisation (global flows)
• Developments in transport and trade accelerated in the 20th century
• rapid developments in ICT and global communications

Question 2

How has political and economic decisions accelerated globalisation?

Answer 2

• International political and economic organisations (IGOS) through promoting free trade and FDI
• National governments in promoting and participating in trade blocs and policies (free markets liberalisation, privatisation, encouraging business start ups)
• Special economic zones, governments subsidies and attitudes to FDI

Question 3

How has globalisation affect some places and organisations more than others?

Answer 3

• Degree of globalisation varies between countries (Kearney and KOF)
• TNCs contributing to spread (global production networks, globalisation and new markets) and economic liberalisation (outsourcing and offshoring)
• ‘switched on’ and ‘switched off’ nations

Question 4

How has the global shift created winners and losers for people and the physical environment?

Answer 4

• Global shift of manufacturing and services can bring benefits (infrastructure investments, waged work, poverty reduction, education and training) but also costs (loss of productive land, unplanned settlements and resource and environmental pressures)
• major environmental problems impacting peoples health and wellbeing
• deindustrialised areas having social and environmental problems.

Question 5

How has increased migration creating consequences for people and the environmental whilst also having benefits?

Answer 5

• rural to urban migration and natural increase leading to the growth of megacities
• international migration to global hub cities increasing interdependence and mass low wage migration
• migration has economic, social, political and environmental costs and benefits for both source and host locations.

Question 6

How has globalisation led to the emergence of a global western culture?

Answer 6

• cultural diffusion (TNCs, global media, tourism and migration) creating a global ‘western culture) creating negative impacts on the environment but increased spread of awareness for disadvantaged groups
• cultural erosion resulting in changes to built and natural ecosystems
• cultural, economic and environmental impacts led tp the formation of antiglobalisation groups.

Question 7

How has globalisation led to development but also widened the development gap?

Answer 7

• economic, social and environmental indicators (composite and single)
• trend in widening income equality (Gina coefficient) and creating of winners and losers
• trends in economic development and environmental management

Question 8

How has globalisation created social, political and environmental tensions?

Answer 8

• increased migration (open borders, deregulation and FDI) culturally mixed societies and migrant diasporas creating tensions. As well as tensions environmentally (resource and extremist groups)
• countries attempts to control globalisation by censorship, migration policies and trade protectionism
• groups seek gin to retain cultural identities and resources, whereas other prioritise economic development

Question 9

How has environmental concerns led to localism and awareness?

Answer 9

• Local sourcing (transition towns)
• Fair trade and ethical consumption (improve working conditions and decrease inequalities in global trade)
• recycling (managing resource consumption and ecological footprints)

Question 10

Why do economies vary between places, and how can they be classified?

Answer 10

• Economic sector and type of employment
• differences in economic activity, reflected through variations in social factors
• inequalities in income levels reflected in quality of life indices

Question 11

How has places changed function and characteristics over time?

Answer 11

• function changes (administrative, commercial, retail and industrial) and demographically (gentrification, age structure and ethnical composition)
• changes happen because of physical factors, accessibility and connectives, historical development and role of local and national planning
• changes measured by employment trends, demographic changes, land use changes and levels of depreciation)

Question 12

How has past and present connection shed economic and social characteristics? (local place)

Answer 12

• regional and national influences
• international and global influences
• how has it influenced peoples identity and demographic influences

Question 13

How do economic and social inequalities changed peoples perception of an area?

Answer 13

• successful regions have both positive and negative factors
• unsuccessful regions cause by economic restructuring triggering spiral of decline
• priorities for regeneration due to significant variations

Question 14

Why are there significant variations in lived experiences and engagement levels?

Answer 14

• variations in levels of engagement (local and national election turnout and abundance and participation in local groups)
• lived experiences and attachment varies (age, ethnicity, gender, length of residence) impact levels of engagement
• conflict occur when there are different views on the priorities and strategies for regeneration, it has complex causes.

Question 15

How do you evaluate the need to regeneration (local place)?

Answer 15

• statistical evidence
• media providing contrasting evidence and question the need for regeneration
• representation influence perceived regeneration need.

Question 16

What’s the role played by UK government policy in regeneration?

Answer 16

• infrastructure investment to maintain growth and improve accessibility
• rate and type of development (planning laws, house building targets, permission for fracking and housing affordability)
• decisions and policies on migration and deregulation of capital markets affecting economic regeneration.

Question 17

How do local government make areas more attractive fro inward investment?

Answer 17

• creation of sympathetic businesses environments (science and tech parks)
• local interest groups (chamber of commerce, local preservation societies and trade unions) play a key role in the decision aiming in regeneration, also tensions between these groups
• urban and rural regeneration strategies

Question 18

How does rebranding attempt to represent areas being more attractive by changing public perception?

Answer 18

• rebranding through re-imaging places
• Rebranding gin deindustrialised cities creating specific place identity building on their industrial heritage.
• rural rebranding strategies in a post production countryside to make an areas more attractive to national and International tourism.

Question 19

How can you asses the success of regeneration (environmental, economic, demographic and social)?

Answer 19

• Measure of the success of economic regeneration (income, poverty and employment)
• social progress can be measured using (reduction in inequality, deprivation, demographic changes)
• Environmental success (improvements in the living environment, pollution and abandoned and derelict land)

Question 20

Why do different urban stakeholders have different criteria for the success of urban regeneration?

Answer 20

• different strategies used in urban location and contested attitudes with local communities
• consequences of the regeneration on national and local scale
• different stakeholders and contracting criteria

Question 21

Why do different rural stakeholders have different criteria fro judging the success of rural regeneration?

Answer 21

• strategies used in the restructuring of rural places and the contested nature
• changes that have taken place as a consequences of national and local strategies
• different stakeholders will judge with contrasting criteria.

Question 22

How does geopolitical power stem from a range of human and physical characteristics of a superpower?

Answer 22

• definition of superpowers, emerging and regional powers using contrasting characteristics
• mechanisms for maintain power (soft and hard) and vary in effectiveness
• relative importance of these characteristics/mechanisms over time in maintaining power

Question 23

How have patterns of power changed over time?

Answer 23

• maintenance of power during the imperial era by direct colonial control
• muti-faceted and indirect control
• different patterns of power bringing varying degrees of geopolitical stability and risk

Question 24

How can emerging powers very in their influence on people and the physical environment which can change rapidly over time?

Answer 24

• emerging countries (BRIC and G20) increasingly important int he global economic and political systems and environmental governance
• each emerging country has strengths and weaknesses that might inhibit or advance their economic and geopolitical role
• Development theories (World system, dependency and modernisation) help explain patterns of power

Question 25

Why do superpowers have significant influence over the global economic system?

Answer 25

• influence over the global economy (promoting free trade and capitalism) through IGOs
• TNCs also have dominant economic forces in the global economy and economic and cultural globalisation (technology/patents and trade patterns)
• global cultural influencing (arts, food and media). The formations of ‘westernisation’ is an important aspect of power

Question 26

How do superpowers and emerging nations play a key role in international decision making concerning people and the environment?

Answer 26

• key role in global action action as a global police force (crisis response, conflict and climate change)
• alliances (military, economic and environmental) important for interdependence, geostrategy and global influence
• UN (Security council, international court of justice, peacekeeping missions and climate change conferences) important to geopolitical stability

Question 27

Why are global concerns about the physical environment disproportionately influenced by superpower actions?

Answer 27

• Superpowers high resource demands causing environmental degradation and high carbon emissions
• differences in willingness to act and reach global agreements
• future growth in middle class consumption and cost of key resources

Question 28

How is global influence contested in a number of different economic, environmental and political spheres?

Answer 28

• Tensions can arise of acquisition of physical resources (Artic oil)
• Global systems of intellectual property rights (IP) (China and TNCs stained geopolitical relationships)
• political spheres of influences can be contested leading to tensions over territory and physical resources (South and East China seas)

Question 29

How are developing nations have changing relationships with Superpowers and their consequences?

Answer 29

• development of economic ties between emerging powers and the developing world (Africa and China)
• Rising economic importance of Asian economies on the global stage generating environmental impacts, opportunities and challenges (China and India)
• cultural, political and environmental tensions in the Middle East, ongoing tensions due to complex geopolitical relationships (UK, Saudi)

Question 30

What ongoing challenges to superpower face that threatens their status?

Answer 30

• economic problems (economic restructuring, dept, unemployment creating social costs)
• economic cost of maintaining a global military powers and space explorations (validity questions)
• future balance of power in 2030 and 2050 (growth of Asian economies)

Question 31

Why is the concept go human development complex and contested?

Answer 31

• Measurements of human development (economic and social)
• improvement sin social progress are seen by some to be more significant goal (governmental priorities/Roslin) e.g. Bolivia
• Variation in education which is essential for economic and social developments (more likely to underwent and assert human rights, correlation with education and earning potential)

Question 32

Why are there notable variations with human health and life expectancy?

Answer 32

• differential access to basic needs (floodwater supply and sanitation) impact levels go nutrition and malnutrition (developing world)
• Differences in lifestyle (diet, level of activity), cost and effectiveness on medical care (developed)
• variations in human health and life expectancy within countries (UK), ethnic variations, income levels and thus lifestyle

Question 33

How to governments and international government organisations play a significant role in defining development targets and policies?

Answer 33

• relationships between economic and social development (democratic government vs totalitarian on spending on health and education)
• dominant IGO (World Bank, IMF, WTO) promoting neoliberal views of development (free trade, privatisation and deregulation of finical markets) and recent programme aimed at improving social progress
• progresses against the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) variations in success

Question 34

How has human rights been important in international law and international agreements?

Answer 34

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights used as a statement of intent and a framework for foreign policy to explain economic and military interventions
• European Convention of Human rights drafted by council of Europe to help prevent conflict (integrated into the UK laws) controversial
• Geneva convention forms a basis of international law for prosecution individuals and organisations of war crimes

Question 35

Why is their significant differences between countries in their definition and protection of human rights?

Answer 35

• governmental priorities effect the focus and participation in human rights agreements (prioritising of economic growth)
• powers transition to more democratic governments but degree of democratic freedom varies (totalitarian vs democratic) and Sharia laws
• levels of political corruption (index of corruption), high corruption threat to fuel of law can be subverted

Question 36

Why is there significant variations in human rights within countries (different levels of social development)?

Answer 36

• ethnicity and gender
• differences in health and education
• higher demand for equality for both women and ethnic groups (Australia, Afghanistan) different rates of progress

Question 37

What are the different forms of geopolitical intervention of defence of human rights?

Answer 37

• wide rage of interventions techniques (Development aid, trade embargoes, military aid and indirect and direct military action)
• Intervention promoted by IGOs, national governments and NGOs (Amnesty International, Human rights watch) but validity of the intervention questioned
• Western government frequently condemn human rights violations and use them as conditions for offering aid, negotiating trade agreements and reasons for military intervention

Question 38

Why does some development focus on improving human rights but other development has very negative environmental and cultural impacts?

Answer 38

• development aid can be offered in many forms (Charitable, multilateral, bilateral)
• impact of development aid is contested (progress in fight against diseases, and reducing poverty and gender equality but encourage dependency, promotes corruption and the role of the elites)
• economic development has serious impact on the the environment (Oil in niger delta) and indigenous land and culture (land grabs in Kenya)

Question 39

How is military aid and both direct and indirect military action, justified in terms of human rights?

Answer 39

• global strategic interests might drive military intervention but our justified in terms of human rights
• Military aid in sometimes given to countries which themselves have questionable human rights
• direct military interventions is increasingly part of the ‘war on terror’ which is justified as promoting human rights. (compromised by Wertne nations condiricatiosn through rendition

Question 40

How is the success of geopolitical intervention measured?

Answer 40

• measurements in successes (improvements in health, life expectancy, education ;evens, gender equality, freedom of speech)
• some governments and IGOs introduction of a democratic institution in central in progress
• in other countries success is measured in terms of economic growth with less attention to holistic development and democratic

Question 41

Why does development have mixed records of success?

Answer 41

• relationship of aid, development, health and human rights is unclear with success in some countries (Ebola, West Africa) contrasted with failures (Haiti)
• substantial development aid has just led to increased economic inequalities or increased economic growth resulting in difference in human health and life expectancy
• extend of superpowers use development aid as an extension on their foreign policies and judge success in terms of access to resources, political support (IGOs) and formation of military alliances

Question 42

Why does military intervention, both direct and indirect have mixed records of success?

Answer 42

• significant costs (loss of sovereignty and human rights) and short and long term costs (2003 Iraq)
• non-military interventions have a stronger record of improving human rights and development (Cote d’ivores)
• lack of action has global consequences having negative progress in environmental, political and social development