Development Notes PDF

Development: Differences, Issues & Opportunities 1  Topic – DEVELOPMENT GEOGRAPHY The Concept of Development Terminology associated with development, such as developed, developing, (MEDCs) A and (LEDCs), and industrial...

Development: Differences, Issues & Opportunities 1  Topic – DEVELOPMENT GEOGRAPHY The Concept of Development Terminology associated with development, such as developed, developing, (MEDCs) A and (LEDCs), and industrialised countries; The concept of development: economic, social, sustainable, appropriate scale and B spatial aspects. Economic, social and demographic indicators of development: GNP, GDP, HDI Gini- C coefficient, life expectancy and infant mortality. Examples to illustrate differences in development from local, regional, and global D contexts. Frameworks for development Factors that affect development, including: access to resources, energy, history, trade imbalances, population growth, education and training, natural resource limitations and environmental degradation (note: learners need to explore the complexity and inter-related A nature of these factors) Development models: Core and periphery models (SA link) with their application at different scales; Sustainability model with its economic, social, and environmental Elements, Export-led development – critically examined (with examples from around B the world). Community based development, including approaches to rural and urban C development (with examples from around the world). Trade and Development A International trade and world markets: commodities traded and terms of trade. Types of trading relationships, including: free trade, trade barriers, subsidies and fair B trade. C The concept of globalisation and its impact on development. 2  Terminology Term Definition Brandt line A line that divides the richer north from the poorer south. The line is not parallel to the equator. Commodity An item of economic value, that countries trade in large quantities. Core & periphery A development model that suggests that economic growth is concentrated in model a dominant core and a less developed periphery depends on the core. Over time development diffuses from core to periphery eventually developing the periphery. Development Development involves the efficient use of resources to improve the standard of living and the quality of life of people. Demographic indicators Statistics about the population. Economic development The development of a countries wealth. Economic indicators Indicators that measure the amount of wealth in a society. Environmental Long-term maintenance of ecosystems and their natural functions for future Sustainability generations. Fair trade Trade that supports farmers in LEDCs by paying fair prices and encouraging social and environmental development in their communities Free trade Trade that occurs without any restrictions GDP Total value of Goods & Services produced by a country in one year (territory (Gross domestic based). product) Globalisation It is the ever increasing global connectivity, integration and interdependence of countries on each other. GNI GDP plus income earned by a country’s citizens/corporations abroad. (Gross national product) GDP Per Capita The total value of all the goods and services produced by a country in a year, divided by the total population of that country. Gini- coefficient An economic indicator that reflects income distribution in a population. HDI A tool developed by the United Nations to measure and rank countries’ levels of social and economic development based on certain indicators: Life expectancy, education, and income indices. Indicators of Indicators are statistics that allow us to compare development levels of development different countries. Industrial Growth When the secondary economic sector grows and expands. More factories are built and more products are made. Wealth is gained through manufacturing activities. 3 Term Definition Infant Mortality Rate Probability of dying between birth and exactly one year of age expressed per 1,000 live births. International trade International trade is the trade of goods and services across borders. LEDC Less Economically Developed Country. A country with low levels of economic development. Indicators of lack of development include high birth, death, and infant mortality rates. Life Expectancy The age until which a person is expected to live. Macro-scale Large scale continental/country based or global development. development MEDC More Economically Developed Countries. A country with high levels of economic development. Indicators of development include low birth, death, and infant mortality rates Micro-scale Small scale community or local level development. development Newly Industrialised A term used by political scientists and economists to describe a country whose Countries level of economic development ranks it somewhere between the developing and first-world classifications. These countries have moved away from an agriculture-based economy and into a more industrialized, urban economy. Quality of life (QOL) is the general well-being of individuals and societies. Quota Restrictions on the number of foreign products that can enter a country. Rostow’s model of A model of development that suggests that all countries have the potential to development develop through five linear stages of growth. Development is only perceived as economic growth. Social development Development that focuses on ways living conditions can be improved. Social indicators Indicators that shows people’s quality of life. Standard of Living The level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available to a certain socioeconomic class in a certain geographic area. Subsidies A country’s government may give financial support to one of its own industries. The government is sharing the production costs of the commodity keeping its prices lower than imported products. Sustainable Development that meets current needs without compromising the ability of development future generations to meet their own needs Sustainable A model of development that aims to incorporate Economic and Social development model development without harming the environment. Terms of Trade The value (price) of a country’s exports relative to that of its imports. Tariff A type of tax placed on imported goods, resulting in the goods being sold for more than local products. Can generate income for the government. Trade The exchange of goods, services, capital, labour and information between two parties. 4 Term Definition Trade barriers Countries implement trade policies to help control trade and protect local businesses and industries. Trade bloc A group of countries that have agreed to trade with each other. Transnational/ Large companies operating in countries around the world. multinational corporation Value added goods Natural resources that have been processed into a semi-finished or finished product. 5  The Concept of Development A. & B. Terminology In Geography the term ‘development’ refers to a number of characteristics that describe the stage a country has reached on economic, cultural, social & technological levels. Development involves the efficient use of resources to improve the standard of living and the quality of life of people. This is achieved through ECONOMIC, SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL development: When a country develops its wealth this leads to ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT When a countries living conditions are improved this leads to SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Development includes 2 aspects of improvement in the lives of people: Standard of living & Quality of life: Economic development will improve a persons standard of living (material well-being of a person): o the value of their possessions and savings, o the type of home they live in. Social development will improve a person’s quality of life (general well-being of a person): o It includes standard of living, but is o also affected by education, health care, services, utilities, environment, and social, political and religious freedom. A country can thus be considered as either DEVELOPED or DEVELOPING 6 depending on the level of economic and social development it has maintained. In 1980 The Brandt Report was written to review international development issues. It classified the world into a ‘richer’ north and ‘poorer’ south. The report used a line to divide the richer north from the poorer south. The line is not parallel to the equator. There are more than 200 countries in the world. Each country has its own unique level of development. Geographers use different terms to describe a countries level of development. Some terms relate to the countries level of economic development and some refer to the countries level of social development. (Per person per year) (OECD): Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - An international economic organisation of 34 countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. Most OECD members are high-income economies with a very high Human Development Index (HDI) and are regarded as developed countries. Countries that have a low to middle income are generally considered DEVELOPING. Countries that have a high income are generally considered DEVELOPED. Some countries are considered Newly Industrialised Countries (NICs), these countries sit between Developed and Developing nations. They have moved away from an agriculture- based economy and into a more industrialized, urban economy. They have high levels of rural-urban migration with a considerate amount of free trade. 7 E.g. South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia - Asian Tigers  Economists differentiate between 2 types of countries: More economically developed Less economically countries developed countries (MEDCs) = Developed (LEDCs) = Developing These terms are generalisations. One must remember that there will be rich people in LEDCs and poor people in MEDCs. The factors that influence a countries development status are based on averages for the entire country and do not reflect the development status of the individuals in that country. 8  Scale and spatial aspects of development Development affects people and places. We must consider the scale and spatial aspects of this development. These aspects refer to the size/area & extent of development that is occurring. The impact of a development project can therefore vary: From improving the quality of life for one person or a family to a whole country or even an entire continent. From a single subsistence farm to the African continent DEVELOPMENT MICRO-SCALE DEVELOPMENT MACRO-SCALE 9  C. Development indicators Indicators are statistics that allow us to compare development levels of different countries. To determine a countries level of development we must consider 3 types of indicators: 1. Economic indicators- Indicators that measure the amount of wealth in a society. 2. Social indicators-Indicators that shows people’s quality of life. 3. Demographic indicators-Statistics about the population. Economic development indicators: 1. GDP 2. GNP 3. GDP per capita 4. Gini-coefficient: An economic indicator that reflects income distribution in a population. Shown using a range between 0 and 1 (sometimes multiplied by 100) If wealth is evenly distributed (everyone gets the same) = 0 The higher the value, the more unequally the wealth has been distributed. Social Indicators: It measures social needs by analysing people’s access to: 1. Services & Facilities 4. HDI values: 2. Education: Used to compare the quality of life in Adult literacy rate different countries: No. children in primary & Comparisons are made between: secondary school 1. Overall Health – Life expectancy No. teachers 2. Education – Ave. school years & 3. Healthcare: Adult literacy rates Access to healthcare 3. Standard of Living - GNP per capita No. doctors available Every country gets a value between 0 and Calorie intake per capita 1. Infant mortality rate The closer a country is to 1, the higher their Access clean H2O level of human development. 10  Demographic Indicators: 1. Fertility indicators: The fertility of a population refers to its ability to reproduce. There are 3 indicators of fertility: 1. The Birth rate The number of births per thousand people per year. 30/1000- high (gen. LEDC) 18/1000-low (gen. MEDC) 2. Fertility rate The average number of children born to each woman in her child-bearing years. >6 (gen. LEDC)