Perceptions of the Planet Flashcards
What is the gap instinct?
Tendency of humans to view large differences between groups of things larger than they are
Name a piece of evidence that proves inequalities exist in the world; talk about basic necessities
Developed countries often have far more access to basic necessities than developing countries e.g. 6% of Chad’s population has access to safe drinking water in comparison to 99% of Singapore’s population
Name a piece of evidence that proves inequalities exist in the world; talk about economics
There is great economic disparity between high-income and low-income countries e.g. average income of people in North America is 16 times higher than that of people in sub-Saharan Africa
Name a piece of evidence that proves inequalities exist in the world; talk about different genders
Inequalities exist between right of girls and boys e.g. 100% of all boys in Afghanistan are allowed an education compared to 20% of all girls
What does the gap instinct highlight and not highlight
The gap instinct highlights gap between the rich and the poor but not how most people live in the middle
Describe the life of those at income level 1
Struggle to access clean water, transportation options non-existent/limited, limited food options, poor sleeping conditions
Describe the life of those at income level 2
Slightly limited/normal access to clean water, mostly reliable transport, budgeted food options, moderate sleeping hours
Describe the life of those at income level 3
Good access to clean water, good transportation options, flexible food options, good sleeping hours
Describe the life of those at income level 4
Good access to clean water, good transportation options, near unlimited food options, good sleeping hours
What is development?
Improvement of standard of living in a country
What is a development indicator?
Method used to measure development e.g. literacy rate, poverty rate
What is the Rostow’s model?
Theory developed by Walt Rostow that countries follow a pathway to development
Name the 5 stages of Rostow’s model
Traditional society, preconditions for development, takeoff, drive to maturity, age of high mass consumption
What does the model not account for?
International trade , colonialism, natural disasters
What does the model present development as?
A linear process
What is the destiny instinct?
Human tendency to believe that the development of a country is fixed in a certain direction
Name reasons why some parts of Africa are not destined to be poor
Countries have experienced impressive development in their GDP and infrastructure industry and have used technology to widen financial inclusion across the continent
Name reasons why some countries are less developed than others
Colonialism-Many countries had resources taken and local economies disrupted by colonizers
Location-Countries that are landlocked don’t have a surrounding sea or ocean so have limited trade
How does trade help close development gap?
Trade helps development employment opportunities in export industries, it allows countries to import goods at lower prices, improving their customers’ access to things like medicines
Why might trade not help close the development gap?
Developing countries can often import high-value goods but export low-value materials; if country relies too much on trade it can harm environment
What are the barriers to the development of Malawi?
Malawi imports more than it exports, causing a deficit in its trade, and most of what it exports is low-value. Malawi has consistently ranked in the top 10 countries around the world with the most HIV/AIDS cases, which can cause a shortage of human capital.
What is the negativity instinct?
Tendency of negative news being more likely to spread than positive news
Name 3 ways the world is improving, using statistics
The percentage of people living in poverty is decreasing as it went from 36% in 1990 to 9% in 2020. Global literacy rate had increased from 76% in 1990 to 86% in 2016. Child morality rate decreased from 93 of every 1,000 births in 1990 to 38 in 2020
What are the Sustainable Development Goals?
17 targets the United Nations have agreed to work together and achieve by 2030 to make the world a better place
