Module 10: Uneven Development and Global Inequalities

Development

Changes in economic prosperity and quality of life. An improvement in the material conditions of life. Measured traditionally by economic criteria but also in more holistic ways (health, education, etc).

More Developed World

A group of countries (Canada, US, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan) that are characterized by a high standard of living and social well-being.

Less Developed World

A large group of countries characterized by low standards of living and social well-being.

Gross domestic product (GDP)

A monetary measure of the market value of all goods and services produced within a country over a period.

Gross national product (GNP)

A monetary measure of the market value of all goods and services produced within a country. Plus those produced by individuals or corporations operating elsewhere.

Gross national income (GNI)

A monetary measure of the market value of goods and services produced within a country, plus income from investments abroad.

Ethnocentric

A form of prejudice or stereotyping that presumes that one’s own culture is normal and natural and that all others are inferior

Eurocentric

A view that places the historical experience of Europe as the benchmark for all comparisons.

Developmentalist

An analysis of cultural and economic change that treats each country or region of the world independently in an evolutionary manner. All areas are autonomous and will proceed through the same series of stages of development.

Purchasing power parity (PPP)

Tool that measures the relative cost of a common market basket of goods and services for comparing cost of living between countries

Environmental determinism

A view that cultures and human behaviours are directly shaped by physical environmental circumstances.

Possibilism

A view that human decision-making and adaptability, and not the physical environment, are the primary agents of cultural change.

World Systems Theory

A set of ideas centered around the notion that the world is an interdependent system of countries linked together by an economic and political competition that shapes relations between core and peripheral countries.

Dependency theory

A theory that connects disparities in levels of development to the relationships between dependent and dominant states.

Governance

Traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised, including the process by which governments are conducted, the capacity of the government to formulate and implement policies, and the respect of citizens and state for the institutions that govern economic and social interactions.

Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI)

A set of indicators assessing the quality of governance in a country, including accountability, stability, effectiveness, regulatory controls, rule of law, and control of corruption.

Non-governmental organization (NGO)

A non-profit enterprise that works alongside government and international organizations to achieve development, humanitarian, and environmental goals.

Internally displaces persons (IDPs)

An individual forced to flee their home in the face of persecution or other threats to safety. They do not leave their country.

Humanitarian aid

A short-term response to a crisis that takes the form of material and logistical support

Development aid

Medium or long-term strategic investments or grants given by governments or other agencies to support the economic, social, and political development of countries or regions.

Official Development Assistance (ODA)

The official form of aid or assistance provided by member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Remittances

A transfer of money from private savings, earnings, etc, by a foreign worker to an individual or family in their home country.

Import substitution

An economic strategy of domestically manufacturing goods that were previously imported, through the aid of protective tarriffs. Often used as a stimulus for industrialization.

Structural adjustment programs (SAP)

Conditional loans provided to less developed countries by international development and lending agencies based in the more developed world, whereby money is contingent upon the country adopting free-market policies and deficit reduction.