Using HDI in AP Human Geography

Kevin Turner

Spanish River Community HS

Boca Raton, FL

What Should AP HG Students Know About HDI?

• Human Development Index (HDI) summarily measures average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and have a decent standard of living

• HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing development, not economic growth alone

• HDI can also be used to question national policy choices, asking how two countries with the same level of GNI per capita can end up with different human development outcomes

• HDI does not reflect on inequalities, poverty, human security, empowerment, etc. (GDI? GEM? Gini?)

Key Questions from Rags and Riches• 3.1 Why do Cuba, Poland and Moldova rank higher

on the human welfare than the economic dimension of development?

• 3.2 Why do Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates rank higher on the economic than the social welfare dimension of development?

• 3.3 What are the long-term ramifications of investing heavily in economic production at the expense of human welfare investment?

• 3.3 What are the long-term ramifications of investing heavily in human welfare at the expense of economic production?

Multidimensional Poverty Index