Adolescent Fertility Rate
Number of births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 19
Cooperative Store
A member-owned, member-governed business that operates for the benefit of its members according to common principles agreed upon by the international cooperative community
Developed Country
A country that has progressed relatively far along a continuum of development
Developing Country
A country that is at a relatively early stage in the process of development
Development
A process of improvement in the conditions of people through diffusion of knowledge and technology
Fair Trade
An alternative to international trade that provides greater equality to workers, small businesses, and consumers, focusing primarily on products exported from developing countries to developed countries
Female Labour Force Participation Rate
The percentage of women holding full-time jobs outside the home
Foreign Direct Investment
Investment made by a foreign company in the economy of another country
Gender-Related Development Index
An indicator used by the UN to measure the gender gap in the level of achievement in terms of income, education of life expectancy
Gender Inequality Index
An indicator constructed by the UN to measure the extent of each country’s gender equality in terms of reproductive health, empowerment, and the labor market
Gross Domestic Product
The value of the total output of goods and services produced in a country in a year, not accounting for the money that leaves and enters the country
Gross National Income
The value of the output of goods and services produced in a country in a year, including money that enters and leaves the country
Human Development Index
An indicator constructed by the UN to measure the level of development of a country through a combination of income, education, and life expectancy
Inequality-Adjusted Human Development Index
A modification of the HDI to account for inequality
Literacy Rate
The percentage of a country’s people who can read and write
Maternal Mortality Rate
The annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes)
Microfinance
Provision of small loans and financial services to individuals and small businesses in developing countries
Millennium Development Goals
Eight goals adopted by the UN in 2002 to reduce disparities between developed and developing countries by 2015
Primary Sector
The portion of the economy concerned with the direct extraction of minerals from Earth, generally through agriculture
Productivity
The value of a particular product compared to the amount of labour needed to make it
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
The number of enrolled students divided by the number of teachers
Purchasing Power Parity
The amount of money needed in one country to purchase the same goods and services in another country
Secondary Sector
The portion of the economy concerned with manufacturing useful products through processing, transforming,and assembling raw materials
Structural Adjustment Program
Economic policies imposed on less developed countries by international agencies to create conditions international trade
Sustainable Development Goals
Seventeen goals adopted by the UN in 2015 to reduce disparities between developed and developing countries by 2030
Tertiary Sector
The portion of the economy concerned with transportation, communications, and utilities, sometimes extended to the provision of all goods and services to people in exchange for payment
Value Added
The gross value of a product minus the costs of raw materials and energy
Acid Deposition
The accumulation of acid on the Earth’s surface
Acid Precipitation
Conversion of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides to acids that return to Earth as rain, snow, or fog
Active Solar Energy
Solar radiation captured with photovoltaic cells that convert light energy to electrical energy
Air Pollution
Concentration of trace substances, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and solid particulates, at a greater level than occurs in average air
Animate Power
Power supplied by animals or people
Biomass Fuel
Fuel derived from wood, plant material, or animal waste
Biochemical Oxygen Demand
The amount of oxygen required by aquatic bacteria to decompose a given load of organic waste; a measure of water pollution
Break-of-Bulk Point
A location where transfer is possible from one mode of transportation to another
Bulk-Gaining Industry
An industry in which the final product weighs more than or comprises a greater volume than the inputs
Bulk-Reducing Industry
An industry in which the final product weighs less or comprises a lower volume than the inputs
Chlorofluorocarbon
A gas used as a solvent, a propellant in aerosols, a refrigerant, and in plastic foams in fire extinguishers
Consumptive Water Usage
The use of water that evaporates rather than being returned to nature as a liquid
Cottage Industry
Manufacturing based in homes rather than factories, most common prior to the industrial revolution
Fission
The splitting of an atomic nucleus to release energy
Fossil Fuel
An energy source formed from the residue of plants and animals buried millions of years ago
Fusion
Creation of energy by joining the nuclei of two hydrogen atoms to form helium
Geothermal Energy
Energy from steam or hot water produced from hot or molten underground rocks
Greenhouse Effect
The anticipated increase in Earth’s temperature caused by carbon dioxide (emitted by burning fossil fuels) trapping some of the radiation emitted by the surface
Just-In-Time Delivery
Shipment of parts and materials to arrive at a factory moments before they are needed
Labour-Intensive Industry
An industry for which labour costs comprise a high percentage of total expenses
Maquiladora
A factory built by a US company in Mexico near the US border, to take advantage of the much lower labour costs in Mexico
New International Division of Labour
Transfer of some types of jobs, especially those requiring low-paid, less-skilled workers, from developed to less developed countries
Non Consumptive Water Usage
The use of water that is returned to nature as liquid
Nonpoint Source Pollution
Pollution that comes from a large, diffuse area
Nonrenewable Energy
A source of energy that has a finite supply capable of being exhausted
Outsourcing
A decision by a corporation to turn over much responsibility for production to independent suppliers
Ozone
A gas that absorbs ultraviolet solar radiation and is found in the stratosphere, a zone 15 to 20 kilometers (9-30 miles) above Earth’s surface
Passive Solar Energy Systems
Solar energy systems that collect energy without the use of mechanical devices
Photochemical Smog
An atmospheric condition formed through a combination of weather conditions and pollution, especially from motor vehicle emissions
Point Source Pollution
Pollution that enters a body of water from a specific source
Pollution
Concentration of waste added to air, water, or land at a greater level than occurs in average air, water, and land
Post-Fordist Production
Adoption by companies of flexible work roles, such as the allocation of of workers to teams that perform a variety of tasks
Potential Reserve
The amount of a resource of deposits not yet identified but thought to exist
Proven Preserve
The amount of a resource remaining in discovered deposits
Recycling
The separation, collection, processing, marketing and reuse of unwanted material
Remanufacturing
The rebuilding of a product to specifications of the original manufactured product using a combination of reused, repaired and new parts
Renewable Energy
A resource that has a theoretically unlimited supply and is not depleted when used by people
Right-To-Work Law
A US law that prevents a union and a company from negotiating a contract that requires workers to join the union as a condition of employment
Sanitary Landfill
A place to deposit solid waste, where a layer of earth is bulldozed over garbage every day to reduce emissions of odors and gasses from the decaying trash, minimize fires, and to discourage vermin
Site Factors
Location factors related to the costs of factors of production inside a plant, such as land, labor, and capital
Situation Factors
Location factors related to the transportation of materials into and from a factory
Vertical Integration
An approach typical of traditional mass production in which a company controls all phases of a highly complex production process