The development gap Flashcards
What is development
It is the progress a country has made in terms of economic growth, use of technology and human welfare
How can economic development be measured
by GNI (gross national income)
which is the measure of wealth and income of a country
How is quality of life measured
by HDI (human development index)
What does the HDI measure
- life expectancy at birth
- adult literacy rates
- GNI per head
Examples of development indicators
- Infant mortality rate
- Birth rate
- Death rate
- Literacy rates
What are limits of economic and social measures
A single measure of development can give a false picture as it gives the average for the whole country
- data may be out of date
- data may be unreliable
- government corruption
Why is the HDI probably the most useful measure
as it combines 3 separate measures which combine, health, wealth and education
What is the demographic transition model
shows changes over time in a population of a country
what is natural change
gap between birth rate and death
What is stage 1 of the demographic transition model
Least developed
- High birth rate
- High death rates
What is stage 2 of the demographic transition model
LICs
- Decreasing death rate
- Birth rate remains high
- growing population
What is stage 3 of the demographic transition model
NEEs
- Birth rate rapidly drops
- Death rates decreasing
What is stage 4 of the demographic transition model
HICs
- Low birth rate
- Low death rate
- Low growth
What is stage 5 of demographic transition model
HICs
- Low birth rate
- Death rates may rise due to ageing population
- Total population decrease
Physical causes of uneven development
- Land-locked countries, they have no access to seas which makes trading hard
- Climate, hot and dry climates with insufficient rainfall making agriculture extremely difficult
- Extreme weather, tropical storms, droughts and floods often hit tropical regions, can slow down development and be costly to infrastructure
- Tropical diseases, malaria is common in Africa making it difficult for the population to work
Economic causes of uneven development
-Trade, poorer countries often trade raw materials that have little economic value. Richer countries control trade and convert the raw materials into expensive items that can be traded for profit
- To break the circle the development of manufacturing is needed which costs money and infrastructure to export it
Historical causes of uneven development
- Colonialism, many of African belonged to European powers and were run for their benefits, although they have gained independence many have struggled to reconstruct their economy
- Suffer from corruption and political instability from different ethnic groups
Consequences of uneven development
- Disparities in wealth
- Disparities in health
- International migration
How does uneven development cause disparities in wealth and health
- clear link between a country’s development and the wealth of its people, wealth and health are linked
- LIC’s can not afford good health care
- LIC’s child mortality rates are high and diseases are the main cause of death
- HIC’s main cause of death are from chronic diseases e.g. cancer
- Malaria in Africa causes a child to die every minute even though it is curable and preventable
How does uneven development cause international migration
- Due to civil wars or famine, large numbers of people have to leave as refugees searching for safety
- Some move in search for better jobs and wages, fuelled by inequality of countries (economic migrants)
What strategies can reduce the development gap
- Aid
- Fair trade
- Intermediate technology
- Investments
- Debt relief
- Microfinance loans
- Industrial development
- Tourism
How do investments help to close the development gap
- TNC’s invest into countries
Investments can involve - Development of infrastructure such as roads, water
- Construction of dams to provide electricity
- Development of new industries
Investment can supply employment and income, poverty decreases and education improves
How does industrial development help to close the development gap
- Can bring employment, higher incomes and opportunities to invest into housing, education and infrastructure
- The ‘multiplier effect’
How does tourism help to close the development gap
- Tourism has lead to investments and increased income from abroad which can be used to improve infrastructure and housing
- Tourism can generate a lot of income but is vulnerable in times of economic recession
How does aid reduce the development gap
- Aid can enable countries to invest in development projects such as roads, electricity and water management that can bring long term benefits
- local scale aid can improve peoples quality of life
What is intermediate technology
- sustainable technology that is appropriate to the needs, skills, knowledge and wealth of local people
- it must be suitable for the local environment and must not put people out of work
How does intermediate technology reduce the development gap
- Takes the form of small scale projects often associated with agriculture, water or health
- can make a difference in peoples quality of life
How do rich countries protect their trade
using
- Tariffs, taxes paid on imports, make imported goods more expensive and less attractive than home produced goods
- Quotas, limits on the quantity of goods that can be imported, usually applied to primary products so affect poorer countries
What is free trade
Where countries do not charge tariffs or quotas to restrict trade to each other, can benefit the worlds poorest countries and reduce the development gap
What is fairtrade
Sets the standards for trade with poorer countries, seeks to reduce the development gap by improving the quality of life for ordinary farmers
What does fairtrade do
- ensures the farmer gets all the money from the sale of the crop
- guarantees the farmer a fair price
- Part of the price is invested in the local community development projects
- in return the farmer must farm in an environmentally friendly way
How can debt relief reduce the development gap
- Helps poor countries invest money in development projects such as industry, infrastructure
- cancelling debt some countries use the money to improve the quality of life for their people
- Tanzania free education is now available
What is microfinance
- small scale financial support set up especially to help the poor
- enable individuals or families to start up small businesses and help themselves become self sufficient
- employment opportunities increase and income rises
