Is there a development gap? Flashcards
How is the development gap visible on a global scale?
- richest 20% people consume 80% global resources
- poorest 20% people earn 1.3% global income
- used to be represented by the OUTDATED Brandt Line, now the Rostow Model
Why is the Brandt line outdated?
Too simplistic
It divided the world into the rich north and poor south, but had a wiggle around Australia. Didn’t represent the rich/poor within a country and now countries like China and India are no longer seem as poor countries
Why does Africa struggle to keep up with the global development gap?
-18 of poorest countries by GDP per capita are in Africa
- most of the poorest nations in Africa do not have effective central government due to instability and civil war: corrupt officials can
a) bleed money from economy by redirecting Western aid and
b) taxing whatever immature industries produce on their own
Can African nations benefit from their natural resources?
Give examples
Many African nations are resource rich
- some take advantage
e.g. Nigeria is one of the largest oil-producing nations globally
- some cannot for monetary/access reasons
e.g. DRC does not have access to the capital needed to create infrastructure that could exploit its resources
Over time, what factors have influenced Africa’s development struggle?
1) GEOGRAPHICAL
- climate
- topography
- disease
- rivers
2) isolation and no trade due to ocean, deserts, rainforest
3) COLONIALISM: disrupts natural development pathway
- borders
- minerals
- wars
- Europeans not caring and racism
4) NEOCOLONIALISM
- Chinese influence in infr. and military
- war
- no economic diversification
5) MODERN ISSUES
- water conflict
- terrorism
- poverty
- no model within the continent/a country in which to follow development
6) DIVERSITY
- religious
- language
- tribal
- huge population
What modern advancements have helped to close the development gap in Africa?
- hydroelectric in rivers
- mineral and oil extraction used by host countries
- healthcare and education risen
- many countries are English-speaking which is an advantage in an English-dominated global economy
- (therefore economic growth has been seen)
What is the definition of development?
NO FIXED DEFINITION - understood that development is dynamic and not all countries follow the Rostow model through defined stages of development
We can use: ‘the progressive improvement in standards of living and QoL for an increasing proportion of the population
What is the difference between the development gap and the development continuum?
The gap is the development differences between the countries visible on a global scale (% stats)
The continuum is the progressions that countries make as they develop, transitioning through different stages of development
How has the concept of development changed over time?
1970s - was understood as how rich a country was in GDP or GDP/capita. This is now understood as economic development.
Now it is understood that development is dynamic and that places develop and show development differently. It is now measured and estimated using a series of socioeconomic factors
What is social development?
What is it shown through?
The way society is changing, how it is changing and is it changing for the better
Life can improve, then get worse depending on what’s going on in the country
- Shown through QoL and standard of living and the differences of these between places
What are the development indicators/measures?
GDP/Capita
Population
Population density
Infant mortality
Life expectancy
Maternal mortality
Fertility rate
Contraception prevalence
Improved rural drinking water
Improved rural sanitation
Children under 5 underweight
Women married by 15
Women married by 18
Female literacy rate
Obesity
Poverty rate
Corruption perception index
Gender inequality index
Gini coefficient
Human Capital Index
HDI
How does GDP/capita measure development?
Measured in $
Looks at the value of the country’s economy divided by the size of the population
Give an example of GDP/capita being a non-effective measure for development
NIGERIA
- population 191 million
- combined wealth of 4 richest men is $29.9b
- GDP/capita = $1,597 (2023)
What is PPP?
Purchasing Power Parity
- compares exchange rates between currencies based on the prices of goods and services in different countries
- what is the money doing for you rather than how much it means numerically
(e.g. £20 in the UK is lots in India but little in Scandinavia)
How does population measure development?
What should be used as well as/instead of it?
Measured in millions
Lots of people mean lots of workers, resulting in tax for the government to invest in health/edu/infr BUT too big puts pressure on resources and so may result in poverty
It is better to look at population STRUCTURE (DTM) e.g. Japan has an ageing population so the older generation will not be supported as there may not be enough workers
What is overpopulation?
more people than resources (at a basic level like food and water)
How does population density measure development?
Give examples
Measured in people/km2
People are not evenly spread out, people may live in higher land altitude areas where pop density can be up to 512p/km2
- rain falls, soil is fertile, but huge conc of people has resulted in land degradation, decreasing food production levels
- high density can be an indicator of high development due to primary industry decline, urbanisation, good infr and resources (and vice versa) but can also backfire due to counter urbanisation in developed countries
e.g. Ethiopia = 105p/km2
UK = 66p/km2
How does infant mortality measure development?
= The death of an infant before their first birthday/1000
- per thousand allows for comparison between countries
- indicates the state of a country’s health service
How does maternal mortality measure development?
= deaths of mothers/100,000
- considered to be an excellent socioeconomic development indicator
- maternal death is mostly clustered amongst socioeconomic disadvantaged groups
- 2nd leading cause of death of women ages 15-44
How does life expectancy measure development?
= the number of years at birth a person can be expected to live
high = advance in medicine, public healthcare and living standards
- we can make a judgement on overall health of a pop
How does fertility rate measure development?
Give stats
= average number of children per woman
- indicator of role of women, whether they are educated and able to work
- links strongly to contraception prevalence
World fertility rate = 2.3 (2023)
1950s was over twice as high = 4.9
South Korea 2024 = 0.75
Nigeria 2024 = 5.01
How does contraception prevalence measure development?
(measured in %)
- shows the role of women and how educated they are
- high fertility rates increase poverty, and poverty results in high fertility rates. downward spiral
There are man barriers:
SOCIETAL (contraception provision and services are neglected during civil conflicts)
- civil war/conflict zones
- political disturbance
- absence of health services
- attacks on healthcare professionals
- sexual violence against women
POOR EDUCATION
- fear and myths among women in sub-s Africa about using it e.g. side effects
FAMILY
- men may be head of the family in many settings so women need permission to use contraception
- religion and culture may be against it
