Development

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Higher Geography
Development Health
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Development Health
What is development?
Since the Industrial and Agricultural Revolutions
of the 18th and 19th centuries the world has
effectively been divided into those countries who
were involved and those who were not. Those who
did experience the benefits of these changes and
improvements are said to be developed countries
and now experience high standards of living and
generally good health. Those nations excluded
from these benefits are said to be developing
countries, moving towards those standards
experienced by developed countries. Developing
countries have lower standards of living and
suffer poorer health.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Development is any improvement in the standard of
living of the people living in a
country. Development is a relative term we can
only tell whether a country is developed or
developing in comparison to another country.
Countries are compared to one another using a
number of measures, or indicators. These
indicators can be either social or economic in
nature.
Need to know examples of economic and social
indicators of development
Economic indicators measure the wealth and
industrialisation of a country. Social
indicators show how a country uses its wealth to
try and improve the quality of life of its people.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Social
Social Indicators of Development
Average Life Expectancy - Developing Countries
will have relatively low figures here since diets
will tend to be poorer (quality and quantity of
food), and also due to a poorer healthcare system
reflecting less investment from government.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Social
Adult Literacy Rate - this is the percentage of
adults who can read and write. Developing
countries will have relatively low figures for
this due to a lack of formal education for many
children in poorer countries and the fact that
these children are often needed to contribute to
the households income by working themselves,
rather than attending school. This affects
girls more than boys in some cultures.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Social
Daily Calories Intake - this indicates the
quantity of food eaten per day on average.
Developing countries again tend to have lower
figures here than developed countries due to
problems producing foods in a country e.g. famine
as a result of climatic / environmental issues,
and also as a result of poorer farming methods
employed, where low levels of mechanisation
and/or desertification may reduce yields.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Social
Number of persons per doctor - this is the
average number of people in the country for every
doctor. Developing countries will have a high
figure for this since poorer countries have less
resources to provide medical facilities or train
doctors. Therefore with fewer doctors in the
country each doctor will have to see many more
patients, ultimately having a negative impact on
healthcare in general.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Social
Number of persons per doctor - this is the
average number of people in the country for every
doctor. Developing countries will have a high
figure for this since poorer countries have less
resources to provide medical facilities or train
doctors. Therefore with fewer doctors in the
country each doctor will have to see many more
patients, ultimately having a negative impact on
healthcare in general.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Social
Percentage of households with access to running
water/W.C. - This shows the proportion of
houses with reasonable sanitation facilities.
Developing countries will tend to have lower
figures here since poorer countries tend to have
less money to invest in infrastructural
improvements. A low figure here will have
consequences for healthcare and mortality.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Social
Percentage of households with access to running
water/W.C. - This shows the proportion of
houses with reasonable sanitation facilities.
Developing countries will tend to have lower
figures here since poorer countries tend to have
less money to invest in infrastructural
improvements. A low figure here will have
consequences for healthcare and mortality.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Economic
Economic Indicators of Development
Gross National Product (G.N.P.) per capita -
this figure shows the total value of goods and
services provided by a country divided by the
total population. Developing countries tend to
have lower figures here due to the fact that
there is often much less organised manufacturing
industry and many more people involved in
subsistence farming in rural areas.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Economic
Economic Indicators of Development
Gross National Product (G.N.P.) per capita -
this figure shows the total value of goods and
services provided by a country divided by the
total population. Developing countries tend to
have lower figures here due to the fact that
there is often much less organised manufacturing
industry and many more people involved in
subsistence farming in rural areas.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Economic
Percentage of people working in Primary/Tertiary
Sector this shows the proportion of the
population involved in various sectors of
industry. Developing countries will have a
higher figure involved in Primary industry and a
lower figure for Tertiary industry. This
reflects more people living in subsistence
farming and less people in urban areas providing
services like banks or restaurants for people.
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Development Health
Indicators of development
Economic
Average income per head this shows the average
income in a monetary sense for each person in the
country. Developing countries will have a
relatively low figure here since many are
involved in subsistence farming in rural areas
and even those in cities tend to work in low paid
jobs.
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Development Health
Problems with indicators
Need to know Explain why indicators of
development may fail to provide an accurate
representation of the true quality of life within
a country
Indicators are too broad/general - creates
average data which hides extremes of wealth and
poverty and so distorts wide internal variations
- Developing countries may have a few wealthy
families whilst the majority of the population
live at subsistence level.
Some regions benefit more from government/internat
ional investment than others - creates north /
south or urban/rural contrasts which are not
reflected in national development indicators.
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Development Health
Problems with indicators
GNP can be inflated/exaggerated by oil revenues
whilst social indicators may reflect more
accurately the quality of life within the country
e.g. Saudi Arabia, being oil rich, has very high
GNP but low adult literacy rates especially
female literacy. Similarly, depending on the
nature of the government in power in a country,
the G.N.P. per capita figure could initially seem
high, but if the governments spending priority
is on military equipment rather than health or
education then the actual quality of life
experienced in that country wont be improved.
Material goods indicators are irrelevant to the
real quality of life in poorer,
subsistence-based economies - T.Vs, per
population is an inappropriate quality of life
indicator for rural Ethiopians.
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Development Health
Composite indicators
HDI
In recognition of the fact that using multiple or
composite indicators can give a better picture of
a nations state of development, the United
Nations replaced its use of G.N.P. per capita
with the Human Development Index (H.D.I.). This
composite indicator is based on using three
individual indicators
The Human Development Index (HDI) attempts to
look at the quality of life in a country, and
unlike G.N.P. per capita, can also measure
differences within a country.
Income per capita - shows what an income will
actually buy in a country.
Educational attainment - a combination of adult
literacy and average number of years of
schooling.
Life expectancy - how long people can expect to
live.
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Development Health
Composite indicators
Model answer 1
Suggest one economic and one social/human
indicator of development and show how each might
illustrate a country's level of development.
(8 marks)
Examples of economic indicator Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP).
These economic indicators measure the total
value of goods and services produced by the
country (GDP includes only the goods produced
within the country and GNP is goods and services
producing income from abroad). Such economic
indicators are usually measured in US per person
or capita. GDP is probably the most used and
well-known indicator. A high figure tends to
suggest lots of industry/services/wealth. It is
fairly easy to calculate using official
government statistics. GDP/GNp, however do not
show the distribution of wealth. Is there a fair
distribution of wealth? It is a very simple
figure, e.g. the GDP of Spain in 2002 was 15,000
per person. This does not mean that everyone in
that country has that 'wealth'. The GDP is an
acceptable indicator in countries which have a
money economy but less useful in Niger or Chad,
where much of the economy is based on subsistence
or informal structures. It is now considered more
appropriate to go beyond simple economic
indicators of wealth and include social and human
indicators.
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Development Health
Composite indicators
Model answer 1
Suggest one economic and one social/human
indicator of development and show how each might
illustrate a country's level of development.
(8 marks)
Examples of social/human indicators Infant
mortality Usually defined as the percentage of
children who die within the first year of birth.
It is a significant human indicator which
correlates with the overall level of health care
within a society, as well as suggesting the
financial capability of a country to look after
its people. Birth and death rates The birth rate
is the number of babies born per 1000 of the
population. A high rate indicates a Iow level of
development, a lack of contraception or the need
to have large families. It seems to be linked to
poverty. In the ELDCs figures may not always be
accurate. A high death rate indicates Iow levels
of health care provision, poor water quality,
sanitation and living conditions. Literacy rates
(per cent of the people who can read and
write). A high rate indicates that the country
can afford to provide education for its children.
However for some countries other skills may be
more important, e.g. linked to farming, child
rearing.
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Development Health
Composite indicators
Model answer 2
Suggest reasons why variations in levels of
development occur among the ELDCs.
(8 marks)
Physical factors (can be positive and
negative) Climatic any extreme will hinder
development for example being too hot, too cold,
too wet or too dry. Such extremes will make life
difficult. Difficult to build houses and roads,
difficult to farm the land, difficult to attract
industry and generally difficult to earn a
living. Relief mountains and steep slopes again
make it difficult to farm, live and earn a
living. Natural disasters those areas likely to
be hit by floods, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions,
earthquakes or by drought tend to remain less
developed. Other factors those areas lacking in
mineral resources (e.g. coal, diamonds) or areas
with poor soils or poor drainage and marshland
and those areas that are naturally linked to
endemic disease will remain less developed
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Development Health
Composite indicators
Model answer 2
Suggest reasons why variations in levels of
development occur among the ELDCs.
(8 marks)
Human factors (can be positive and negative) A
high population growth will generally limit
development, since increasing resources will have
to be spread more thinly (e.g. food, space, jobs,
water). There will not be enough jobs, houses,
schools, heath clinics. There may well be a Iow
level of industrialisation with few factories and
offices. Some people believe that it is commerce
and industry that generate the wealth for
development, such jobs tend to be well paid and
provide security. The ELDCs tend to have jobs in
the primary sector, with Iow levels of trade and
often under the influence of the power of the
multinational companies. The resulting profits
often go abroad and tend not to be reinvested in
the country. The ELDCs seem to be burdened with
debt repayment and suffer from barriers to trade
(tariffs and quotas).
For example, countries such as Brunei or Kuwait
have been able to prosper and develop because of
their oil and gas reserves. Countries such as
Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore have developed
their industries and prospered (see notes below).
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Development Health
Composite indicators
Model answer 3
With reference to named countries, explain why
indicators of development may fail to provide an
accurate representation of the true quality of
life within a country. (10 marks)
Socio-economic indicators are average figures for
a whole country, and do not reveal internal
variations. In India for example, there are great
differences between people due to rank or status
ethnic origins (are a factor in South Africa).
Religious group, political affiliation or
inheritance are other possible factors. In oil
rich countries such as Kuwaitor Saudi, the
differences in wealth are massive. The oil is
controlled by the ruling class (the oil sheiks).
Although the money is spent on health and
education, the GDP average is unrealistically
high for 95 of the population. Within Brazil
there are 'rich' and 'poor' areas, based on
differences in terms of climate, relief,
vegetation, soils and natural resources. The SE
has the resources, the NE is a poor drought-hit
area. Average indicators do not allow for
regional variations inside a big country. In many
ELDCs there is a big difference in wealth and
quality of life between the urban areas and the
rural villages and farms. India and China are 70
rural, with the wealth, jobs, best education
and higher quality of life concentrated in the
urban areas. Once again average indicators do not
take this into consideration.