Dynamic Development

what is development?

the process of a country becoming richer, having better healthcare and education, and improving its living standards for all in that country

what is an advanced country (AC)?

• a developed, industrialised country which is wealthy and has a wide range of jobs and services.

• there will be well-developed financial markets, advanced technological infrastructure and more workers in the tertiary sector.

what is an emerging developing country (EDC)?

• a country whose level of development rannks between an LIDC’s and an AC’s.

• it will have some aspects of an AC but does not meet all the required standards.

• it will have moved away from an agricultural-based economy into a more industrialised, urban economy, with more workers in the secondary sector.

what is a low-income developing country (LIDC)?

• a country with lower levels of development.

• it will be characterised by a predominantly agricultural-based economy, with much of the population working in low-income, primary jobs.

what was the Brandit Line?

a line used to divide the planet into the ‘rich north’ and the ‘poor south’, popularised in the 1980s

what are the advantages of the Brandit Line?

• its a method of locating almost all of the LIDCs and ACs.

• simplifies data, so it is easy to understand in a visual context.

• highlights the disparities and inequalities between the northern and southern hemisphere.

• GDP data is used - easy access to data source from governments, IMF and the UN.

what are the disadvantages of the Brandit Line?

• generalises some countries above and below the line.

• only uses GDP; doesn’t include other development indicators like HDI or GNI.

• more EDCs are appearing now than they were in 1981.

• some South American countries, e.g. Brazil, were already developing in the 1970’s, making the line out of date by 1981 when it was drawn.

• many countries do not have up to date or accurate statistics (this could be because countries do not have extensive records or censuses), and this makes comparision of statistics between countries hard and inaccurate.

• economic development patterns have been complex so some parts of a country have developed quicker than the country itself, e.g. Hong Kong in China, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

what is social development?

the improvement of the quality of life for people that live in a country, which takes into account health, education access, life expectancy, infant mortality, etc.

what is economic development?

a country’s progress in economic growth through levels of industrialisation and use of technology.

what is environmental development?

a country’s advances in the management and protection of the environment

what are some social development indicators?

• birth rate and death rate: the number of live births/deaths per 1000 people per year.

• infant mortality: the number of children under age 1 who die per 1000 live births per year.

• literacy rate: the percentage of the population over age 15 who can read and write.

• life expectancy: the average lifespan of someone who lives in that country.

• people per doctor: a ratio to show the number of people per doctor in a country.

what are some economic development indicators?

• GDP per capita (gross domestic produce per capita): the total value of the goods and services produced in a country.

• GNI per capita (gross national income per capita): the average gross national income per person per year, in US dollars.

• employment type: the proportion of the population working in primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary industries.

what is an example of a mixed development indicator?

HDI (Human Development Index), which is a statistical index used to rank the human development of countries on a scale of 0 to 1.

• it takes into account a range of different indicators, such as life expectancy and literacy rates.

• it counts as a social indicator of development

what are the benefits of mixed indicators of development?

• they are more useful as they combine a range of different factors, allowing various aspects of a country to be taken into consideration.

• this means that the level of development of a country can be more accurately ranked.

what can the birth rate tell you about a country?

• a high birth rate indicates a less developed country, as there is likely to be a lack of access to contraception or family planning, and children may be needed as labour (e.g. on farms or in informal sectors) to earn money for their families.

• a low birth rate indicates a developed country, as the empowerment of women allows for women to build careers and delay when they have kids/reduce the number of kids they choose to have.

what can the death rate tell you about a country?

• a high death rate indicates a less developed country, as there is likely to be poor healthcare, war, high malnourishment or disease in the country.

• a low death rate indicates a developed country, as there is likely to be quality healthcare, due to medical advances. people may also eat healthier diets and may be more aware of the benefits of regular exercise, so people live longer.

what can infant mortality tell you about a country?

• a low infant mortality indicates that a country has high child survival.

• this means there must be good child healthcare and low levels of child malnourishment/malnutrition.

what can the literacy rate tell you about a country?

• a high literacy rate indicates that people in the country have access to a quality education system.

• there will be an educated workforce.

what does the people per doctor ratio tell you about a country?

• a lower people per doctor ratio indicates a richer, more developed country, as there will be more money available in the country for the training and recruitment of doctors.

• it also indicates a quality healthcare system and a good standard of living.

what can GNI per capita tell you about a country?

• a high GNI indicates that on average each person has a good income so the country must have quite a large economy.

• this means more tax is paid to the government so more money can be spent on improving infrastructure and services such as hospitals and schools.

what can employment type tell you about a country?

• an AC will have majority of its population in the tertiary sector due to its wide range of services jobs, and will also have new quaternary industries due to technological advances.

• an EDC will have majority of its population in the secondary sector, as it will have moved away from an agricultural-based economy into a more industrialised, urban economy.

• an LIDC wil have majority of its population in the primary sector, as its economy will be predominantly agricultural-based, with many working in low-income primary jobs to sustain their families, e.g. rural families may work as farmers.

why is an AC less likely to have a lot of its population working in the primary and secondary sector?

• there will be a decrease in dangerous, arduous jobs due to increased concerns about people’s welfare.

• these industries will have moved abroad, e.g. factories have moved abroad because labour is cheaper in LIDCs.

how might an increase in GNI affect the people of a country?

• more children may be able to afford an education.

• healthcare and infrastructure may improve.

• there may be better sanitation.

how might an decrease in GNI affect the people of a country?

• there may be food insecurity.

what is the issue with some development indicators?

• some development indicators are only an average.

• this means that inequalities and disparities within the country are hidden by these averages, causing some countries to be generalised.

• therefore, data may not be truly representative of the true level of development across the whole country.

how do economic measures of development illustrate consequences of uneven development?

• economic data, such as GDP or GNI, can be used to categorise countries as ACs, EDCs, or LIDCs.

• data can be used to compare and rank different countries.

• an AC would have a higher GDP per capita and the money can be spent to improve healthcare/the income allows people to access quality healthcare.

what are physical factors that influence global uneven development?

• climate.

• natural hazards.

• natural resources.

• location/terrain.

how could debt relief help an LIDC to develop?

• there will be more money available, as less will be spent on debt repayment and interest.

• the country can now afford to invest in infrastructure, education, healthcare, etc.

why might it be hard for some countries to break out of poverty?

• large proportions of the population may live in rural areas, which makes it difficult for them to access education.

• if the government is corrupt, they are unlikely to invest in development or spend money on things to benefit the people of their country.

• a lack of natural resources may mean that a country cannot make enough money from trade.

• a country may have a hot, dry climate which limits water supply and makes farming difficult, creating food insecurity.

what is a bottom-up development strategy?

when non-government organisations (NGOs) work in cooperation with local communities to find out about their needs and lead small-scale development schemes.