Measurements of regional and global disparities

Question 1

Define: development

Answer 1

The use of resources to improve the quality of life in a country

Question 2

Define: GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)

Answer 2

The total value of goods and services produced in a country in a year

Question 3

Define: GROSS NATIONAL INCOME (GNI)

Answer 3

Comprises the total value of goods and services produced within a country together with its income received from other countries, less similar payments made to other countries

Question 4

Define: GROSS NATIONAL INCOME PER CAPITA

Answer 4

The GNI of a country divided by its total population

Question 5

Define: GNI at purchasing power parity (PPP)

Answer 5

The GNI converted into US dollars n the basis of how the value of the currency compares with that of other countries

Question 6

Define: development gap

Answer 6

The difference in income and the quality of life in general between the richest and poorest countries in the world

Question 7

Define: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX (HDI)

Answer 7

A measure of development which combines life expectancy, education and income.

Question 8

Define: LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

Answer 8

The poorest and weakest economies in the developing world as identified by UNCTAD.

Question 9

Define: NEWLY INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES

Answer 9

Countries that have undergone rapid and successful industrialisation since the 1960s.

Question 10

Define: INFANT MORTALITY RATE

Answer 10

The number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births

Question 11

Define: EDUCATION

Answer 11

The gradual process of acquiring knowledge, understanding and skills

Question 12

Define: ADULT LITERACY RATE

Answer 12

The percentage of the adult population with basic reading and writing skills

Question 13

Define: sustainable development

Answer 13

Development that seeks to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations.

Question 14

Define: MALNUTRITION

Answer 14

The condition that develops when the body does not get the right amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function.

Question 15

Define: MARGINALISATION

Answer 15

The process of being pushed to the edge of economic activity, of being largely left out of positive economic trends

Question 16

Why is the infant mortality rate useful?

Answer 16

1. It is regarded as one of the most sensitive indicators of socio-economic policy
2. Gives information surrounding the infrastructure of a country - all countries have access to the same knowledge regarding healthcare
3. Regional differences can enable countries with similar resource levels to register disparate mortality levels

Question 17

Criticisms of infant mortality rate

Answer 17

Differing opinions of live births - for example, Canada

Question 18

Why is education useful as a measurement of disparities?

Answer 18

1. Key to socio-economic development
2. Quality education and female literacy are central to development
3. Many aspects depend on female literacy rates
4. People who are literate are able to access medical and other information that will help them to a higher quality of life
5. UN sees it as vital for sustainable development

Question 19

Physical explanations for the development gap

Answer 19

1. Landlocked countries have generally developed more slowly than those that have a coast
2. Small island countries face considerable disadvantages in development
3. Tropical countries have grown more slowly than those in temperate latitudes, reflecting the cost of poor health and unproductive farming in the former. However, richer, non-agricultural tropical countries such as Singapore do not suffer a geographical deficit of this kind
4. A generous allocation of natural resources has spurred economic growth in a number of countries

Question 20

Economic explanations for the development gap

Answer 20

1. Open economies that welcomed and encouraged foreign investment have developed faster than closed economies
2. Fast-growing countries tend to have high rates of saving and low spending relative to GDP
3. Institutional quality in terms of good government, law and order and lack of corruption generally result in a high rate of growth

Question 21

Demographic explanations for the development gap

Answer 21

Progress through demographic transition is a significant factor, with the highest rates of growth experienced by those nations where the birth rate has fallen the most

Question 22

Economic consequences of the development gap

Answer 22

1. Global integration is spatially selective: some countries benefit and others do not
2. One in five of the the world’s population live on less than a dollar a day, almost half on less than two dollars a day
3. Poor countries frequently lack the ability to pay for food, agricultural innovation and investment in rural development

Question 23

Social consequences of the development gap

Answer 23

1. More than 850 million people in poor countries cannot read or write
2. Nearly a billion people do not have access to clean water and 2.4 billion to basic sanitation
3. Eleven million children under five die from preventable diseases each year
4. Many poor countries do not have the ability to combat the effects of HIV/AIDS

Question 24

Environmental consequences of the development gap

Answer 24

1. Poor countries have increased vulnerability to natural disasters
2. They lack the capacity to adapt to droughts and other natural events induced by climate change
3. Poor farming practices lead to environmental degradation
4. Raw materials are exploited with limited economic benefit to poor countries and little concern for the environment
5. Landscapes can be devastated by mining, vast areas of rainforest felled for logging and clearance for agriculture and rivers and land polluted by oil exploitation

Question 25

Political consequences of the development gap

Answer 25

1. Poor countries that are low on the development scale often have non-democratic governments or they are democracies that function poorly
2. There is a reasonably strong link between development and improvement in the quality of government
3. In general, the poorer the country, the worse the plight of minority groups