Development SummaryThe scale and stages in which people and places grow.

Development is a term used to describe the process of improvement in a nation’s standard of living (wellbeing) or economic process.

Classifications First World – US and allies (west) Second World – Soviet Union, China and allies (communist) Third World (neutral)

Brandt - North (rich)- South (poor)

Majority world – most poor Minority world – fewer wealthy

Industrial Rich – Poor Underdeveloped Income – high/middle/low

MEDC – more economically developed LEDC – less economically developed

Measures of DevelopmentThere are a variety of measures which can be either quantitative (number) or qualitative (sense, feeling, impression).

1. Quantitative Measures Economic

- GNP (Gross National Profit) per capita - GDP (Gross Domestic Product) measures the value of all things produced in a

country (however this measures does not take into account the distribution of wealth or informal work)

- Unemployment Rate- Employment by sector i.e. agricultural, manufacturing or service based

Social- Access to clean water- Sanitation- Literacy rates

Demographic- Birth rate- Death rate- Fertility rate- Nutrition- Infant mortality

Environmental Indicators2. Qualitative – descriptions of peoples living conditions and quality of life

Demographic Transition ModelA model showing stages in the level of development for a country from preindustrial to developed. Early stages have high birth and death rates until industrialisation leads to better education, health and urbanisation.

Problems using indicators GDP

- Measuring non-paid work/informal economy- The difficulty of collecting accurate statistics- Doesn’t tell you about the distribution of the wealth

Single component indicators – only give you a picture of one aspect

Multiple component index Human development index – developed by the UN and uses GDP per capita, life

expectancy and adult literacy. These three components can act as good indicators of others e.g. life expectancy might be argued to reflect nutrition and general health.

Characteristics of Developing Countries High proportion of the population in agriculture (70-90%) Gender inequality Labour often underemployed Income low per head Exports – primary products Housing and structure inadequate Low technology Farms small and dispersed High birth and death rates High illiteracy Unstable governments Community dependent on natural envrionment