AP Human Geography (Unit 7-Development)

HDI

Human Development Index: indicator of level of development for each country, combining income, literacy, education, and life expectancy

Gross National Product (GDP)

total value of all goods and services by a country's economy in a given year (inside and outside of the country)

Most Developed Country

a country that has progressed relatively far along a continuum of development

Least Developed Country

a country that's at a relatively early stage in the process of economic development

Economic indicators

development indicators based on a country's economic production, what it produces, and how it produces

Export processing zones

ones established by many countries in the periphery and semi-periphery (they offer favorable tax and trade arrangements to attract foreign trade)

Rostow Modernization model

linear theory of development that developed countries go through a common pattern of structural changes (stage 1-traditional society, stage 2-transitional stage, stage 3-take off, stage 4-drive to maturity, stage 5-high mass consumption)

Non-Governmental Organizations

international organizations that operate outside the influence of governments

Microcredit programs

programs that provide small loans to poor people, especially women, to encourage development of small businesses

Comparative advantage

the ability of an individual or group to carry out a particular economic activity more efficiently than another activity

Cottage industry

manufactured based in homes rather than in a factory, commonly found prior to the industrial revolution

Fordism

form of mass production in which each work is assigned one specific task to perform repeatedly

Industrial Revolution

a series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods

Assembly line

an efficient manufacturing process in which components are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics, resulting in extremely fast production

Post-Fordism

adoption by companies of flexible work rules, such as the allocation of workers to teams that perform a variety of tasks

Least-Cost Theory

(Alfred Weber)-model according to which the location of manufacturing establishments is determined by the minimization of 3 critical expenses: labor, transportation, and agglomeration

Agglomeration

a process of clustering people or activities

Bulk Gaining Industry

an industry in which the final product weighs more or comprises a great volume than the inputs

Bulk Reducing Industry

an industry in which the final product weighs less or comprises a lower volume than the inputs

Footloose Industry

a general term for an industry that can be placed and located at any location without effects from facts such as resources or transport

Manufacturing Region

a region in which manufacturing activities has clustered together

Location theory

a logical attempt to explain the locational pattern of an economic activity and the manner in which its producing areas are interrelated

Sectors of the economy

Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary, Quinary

Site factors

location factors related to the cost of factors of production inside the plant, such as land, labor, and capital

Situational factors

location factors related to the transportation of materials to and from a factory

Outsourcing

a decision by a corporation to turn over much of the responsibility for production to a third party; usually overseas

International Division of Labor

a spatial division of labor which occurs when the process of production is no longer confined to national economies

Globalization

the expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes to the point that they become global in scale and impact

Sustainable Development

development providing for the needs of the present generation without diminishing the options of future generations

Ecotourism

a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism