Topic 8 - Health, Human Rights and Intervention EQ1

Question 1

Define development?

Answer 1

• often development means change for the better - usually concerned with economic development which leads to improvements in quality of life
• may include industrialisation, urbanisation and increasing standards of living in terms of housing, education and health

based on Eurocentric viewpoint - others may have a different view of development

Question 2

Explain what GDP measures for?

Answer 2

Gross domestic product - the monetary value of all goods and services produced by a country in a year - calculated by combining the value of all the finished goods produced, together with the value of services

Per capita - calculated by dividing GDP by population

Question 3

Explain what GNI measures for?

Answer 3

Gross national income (GNI) includes earnings from abroad

• The major strength of GNI as an economic metric is the fact that it recognizes all income that goes into a national economy, regardless of whether it is earned within the country or overseas.

Question 4

Explain what HDI measures for?

Answer 4

Human development index - composite measure (takes into account social and economic - life expectancy, years of schooling and GDP per capita)

• doesn’t take into account environmental quality, democracy, national security or inequality

Question 5

Explain what the HPI is an indicator for?

Answer 5

Happy plant index - measure of the sustainable well-being, shows the extent to which countries deliver long, happy and sustainable lives for the people who live in them

• based on life expectancy, experienced well-being and ecological footprint
• very subjective - happiness of the planet not individuals

Question 6

Outline the development within Bolivia under Evo morales?

Answer 6

• presidential republic with new constitution called the ‘law of the mother earth’ which recognised earth as a living dynamic system made up of undivided communities who are all interconnected and interdependent - new development approach put nature first
• economy was in bad state when he came to power (rampant inflation and selling off of state assets) - morales (first indigenous president) began renationalising oil and gas industries and used the revenue to fund public work projects (extreme poverty fell by 40%)

country still poorest in SA - dependent on its nature resources for economic growth

Question 7

Outline the role of Sharia law on development?

Answer 7

• law of Islam derived from interpretations of the Qur’an - governs aspects of Muslims life - sharia is seen as nurturing and freeing humanity to realise its individual potential

Idea welfare of humans is based on fulfilment of:
- necessities - 5 things (religion,life,intelect ext)
- needs and comforts - things people seek to avoid hardship and have a good life

Question 8

Outline 2 contrasting approaches that contest the traditional way of measuring economic growth for example using GDP?

Answer 8

• sharia law - shows the importance of human welfare
• Bolivia - shows importance of intervention of national government

Question 9

Why is education important for development and developing human capital?

Answer 9

• developing a need for basic hygiene and healthcare - greatly reduces infant mortality
• to educate population about their rights in the 21st century
• way to control their family size
• develops more involved and better decision making

Question 10

Explain how education differs amongst countries?

Answer 10

• children in developed countries attend primary and secondary school with many progressing to higher education (leading to highly skilled workforce)
• most children aged 7 - 14 in developing countries are working instead (UN estimates 60 million primary school and 65 million secondary school not attending education - majority girls) - working on farms/in factories

Question 11

Explain why there is a different between boys and girls access to education - give 3 points?

Answer 11

• education of girls is lower priority in rural developing countries - girls are needed for wood/water collecting and will leave the family when they marry
• cost of education and equipment (pencils ext) - families choose to focus on educating boys who are more likely to get a job so need to learn to read and write
• low status of women - means girls are seen as a source of labour and are expected to marry/have children young so family choose to send boy to school rather than girl

mainly in Arab states and Asia - girls make up 54% of worlds not school population

Question 12

Give 5 factors which prevent access to education?

Answer 12

• wealth
• gender
• ethnicity
• social class
• physical and mental disability

education still remains inaccessible to over 60 million children

Question 13

Define and explain maternal mortality?

Answer 13

Is the number of deaths of females per 100,000 live births in a year while pregnant or within 42 days of pregnancy finishing

after 42 days is important to include as it suggests the level of healthcare due to the care they receive after

Question 14

Define and explain life expectancy?

Answer 14

The average number of years a person might be expected to live based on the year of their birth

Question 15

Define and explain infant mortality?

Answer 15

The number of deaths of children under 1 year of age compared with the total number of live births in one year in an area - given as a percentage out of 1000

Question 16

Explain how government spending varies - focus on France?

Answer 16

• Frances has one of highest government spending as % of GDP (59%)
• healthcare system predominantly state funded (11.5% of GDP) French residents will also top up healthcare with top-up insurance
• high government and pension payments (average 15,000 for 40 years)
• education - high student spending - 8500 per student - 1500 more than uk

Question 17

Explain how government spending varies - focus on Saudi Arabia?

Answer 17

• autocratic power - royal family have absolute authority responsible for laws and economic decisions
• healthcare is 80% state funded and state healthcare is free (high quality)
• wealth fare and pension payments vary (unemployment pay is 400 for 12 months and pension is 300 month - low by global standards)
• education is not great - focuses on religious teaching with poorly trained teachers

Question 18

Explain why there are variations In health and life expectancy within the democratic republic of Congo - mention war and poverty?

Answer 18

• DRC one of world’s poorest countries (HDI value of around 0.400)
• one of worlds richest countries in resources (gold,silver,copper,zinc and diamonds) led to conflicts with neighbours
• conflicts have impacted food distribution and supply - 6 million died as result (3 million under 5 years)
• unstable governance, civil conflicts and power struggles contribute

Question 19

Outline and explain how the low wealth of the democratic republic of Congo impacts the region?

Answer 19

• GDP per capita around $800
• most of pop live in state of moderate/serious food insecurity (40% of children under 5 suffer malnutrition)
• 40% of children forced to work instead of education
• average life expectancy around 56 years
• worlds highest infant and maternal mortality - most women have first kid before 20

Question 20

Explain how Algeria has improved in development and outline the effects on health and life expectancy of population?

Answer 20

• GDP per capita increased by 30%
• life expectancy increased by 17 years (now 76)
• 5 year increase in number of schooling years
• HDI value improved to 0.736 - now one of highest in Africa

Question 21

Explain how Algeria still has problems and elements of a developing country?

Answer 21

• relatively low literacy rates
• 20% of rural pop lack access to safe sanitation
• 20% still living below national poverty line

Question 22

Explain how Algeria has experienced improvements in development?

Answer 22

• benefited from strong leadership and governance
• series of 5-year plans have enabled significant progress in development
• met and surpassed several of the millennium development goals
• progress due to oil revenues (which generate 98% of country’s export earnings) - used these to drive investment

Question 23

Explain findings from the organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD) regarding the developed world?

Answer 23

• average life expectancy had increased by 5 years (women live 5 years longer than men)
• health spending per capita is the greatest improvement for life expectancy
• infant mortality declined sharply in all OECD countries

Question 24

Explain how healthcare spending is changing in developed countries?

Answer 24

• healthcare spending has increased from 4% of GDP to 8.9% in 2013 across developed countries
• due to ageing populations healthcare costs are rising sharply (much faster than GDP growth and general inflation) due to more expensive medicine, research into new drugs and more complex surgeries required for this older population

Question 25

Explain regional variations in health and life expectancy in countries like the UK?

Answer 25

• people living in south of England have longer life expectancy (80 years) compared to scotlands (77)
• regional variations linked to smoking, obesity and income (eg being able to afford fresh healthy foods - vegetables, fruits)
• national average life expectancy continues to rise - due to more effective healthcare, cancers and heart problems diagnosed earlier ext

Question 26

Outline the role of the world bank and the global partnership for education (GPE)?

Answer 26

• partnership of world bank and GPE
• aimed at achieving millennium development goals 2 and 3
• GPE invests in early education - focused on poorest and most disadvantaged children (girls,ethnic minorities and disabled)
• invested 35 billion in education programmes

Question 27

Explain what the millennium development goals are (MDGs)?

Answer 27

• set of goals established by the UN for the new millennium - were to be achieved between 2000 and 2015
• 8 goals (include eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education and developing a global partnership for development)

Question 28

Outline the role of IGOs like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade organisation (WTO) on development?

Answer 28

IMF - strengthens weakening currencies and helps heavily indebted countries by re-arranging loans and imposing conditions and programmes that force the state to play a reduce part in the economy - encouraging privatisation

WTO - encourages trade between countries to promote development - has led to environmental degradation like deforestation to make room for growing crops and for palm oil production

Question 29

Explain global achievements of the MDGs - include figures?

Answer 29

• number living in extreme poverty declined by 56% to 836 million
• number of children dying before their 5th birthday has declined by 50%
• 2.1 billion gained access to improved sanitation
• improvements in education for girls

Question 30

Explain what the sustainable development goals are (SDGs)?

Answer 30

• UN launched new set of 17 SDGs with aspiration to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all
• formed in 2015 to be completed by 2030
• not legally binding - governments expected to take ownership to achieve the goals