CHAPTER: 2 – DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

UNIT: 1 - Development
Introduction
Development can be defined as an improvement in the factors that affect a person's
quality of life and standard of living. Development is a word used often by
geographers, politicians and environmentalists which means different things to
different people.
The factors of development are income, diet, housing, healthcare, sanitation and
education. It includes economic growth, technological advancement and improving
human rights. The three main areas within development are the economy, society
and environment.

Economic aspects of development

A country’s economy refers to all the activities that use people and resources to
produce wealth which includes businesses, industry and trade that employ people
and make money. When a country develops, its economy grows and improves.
When a person or family increases their income and are able to buy goods and
services, they benefit from development.
Economic development is the improvement in a person’s standard of living and a
country’s wellbeing. With greater income, a person can afford education, healthcare,
food and better housing. With increasing wealth, a country can improve
infrastructure, such as roads, housing, water and electricity supply.

Social aspects of development

In the past, most development projects had an economic focus. However, even with
economic growth and development, a growing number of people remained poor.
It is no good if a country’s wealth increases but its people do not see an
improvement in their quality of life. It was for this reason that people became the
focus of development.
Social development, also known as human development, is about the welfare of
people – health, comfort, happiness and prosperity.
Some examples include:
 Improving education, training, health care and housing
 Ensuring women and children are treated equally
 Providing social security, e.g. pensions, disability grants and needs for the poor
 Protecting human rights, freedom, safety and security
Environmental aspects of development
In the past, some development projects damaged the natural environment such as
mines polluted water and air and stripped the land of natural vegetation.
Development must not harm the environment to be meaningful and sustainable.
Development projects that create jobs, improves lives and generate income, but
damage the environment are not meaningful. Meaningful development considers the
impact on the environment and takes place without damaging the natural
environment. Environmental development requires that we live within Earth’s means.

Ways of measuring development

Measuring economic aspects of development
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
A country’s income can be measured using GDP, which is the total value of all the
goods and services produced by a country in a year.

Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDP/capita)

GDP tells us the income of a country.
If the income is divided by the total of the population, it gives a theoretical figure of
the income (per year = p.a.) of the ‘average’ person living in the country.
Formula:
GDP/capita = GDP of country / Population of country
GDP and GDP/capita are useful measures when comparing countries income,
individual incomes and level of development.

Measuring social aspects of development

Social development is about the wellbeing and welfare of people living in a country.

Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the number of years the average person can expect to live.
Some countries have a high life expectancy, some have a low life expectancy.
Life expectancy is influenced by diet, nutrition, health care, diseases, sanitation and
other factors that affects a person’s life. It is also influenced by infant mortality.
In general, people have a higher life expectancy in countries with a higher income.
Literacy levels
The percentage of a population that is literate varies between countries. In Germany,
an estimated 99 percent are literate whereas in Mozambique, the literacy rate is 55
percent. Countries with a higher income tend to have higher literacy levels.

Measuring environmental aspects of development

Urban-rural populations
An indicator of a country’s level of environmental development is the percentage of
the population living in urban areas compared to rural areas. Countries with a higher
income tend to have more urbanised populations. Less wealthy countries have more
rural populations.

Carbon emissions
Carbon dioxide is emitted into Earth's atmosphere by human activities such as coal
burning power stations. These activities burn fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil).
Countries with a higher income tend to produce more carbon emissions. Less
wealthy countries produce less carbon dioxide.

The Human Development Index (HDI)

What is the HDI?
The HDI was created to statistically compare development between countries.
The HDI combines these development indicators into one index:
 Healthcare: average life expectancy
 Education: average years of schooling received by people 25 years and above
(literacy levels)
 Income: GDP/capita
The HDI is a number between 0 and 1, closer to 1 indicates a highly developed
country with a high
standard of living whereas
closer to 0 indicates a less
developed country where
the standard of living is
low. Studying the HDI for
all countries in the world
allows us to compare
countries in order to study
development.
 UNIT: 2 – Factors Affecting Development
Reasons for differences in development

Historical factors: colonialism and neo-colonialism

From the 1500s, European countries started trading and settling in North and South
America, Asia and Africa. The Europeans took over the farming lands and shipped
out raw materials. They used these to manufacture goods in Europe and sold them
back to the colonies for a profit and they taxed local goods making it hard for
colonies to manufacture.
Neo-colonialism is the continuing dependence of less developed countries (former
colonies) on wealthy developed countries.
Less developed countries still rely on producing and exporting raw materials while
importing manufactured goods from developed countries. The developed world
countries continue making profits than the developing world.
Colonialism and neo-colonialism have contributed towards difference in development
across the world.

Trade: trade imbalances and unfair trade

Trade is the exchange of goods from one person to another.
Countries that produce goods export these to countries that import the goods. It is
good for a country’s economy to sell more than it buys as it earns more money than
it spends.
Trade between countries isn’t always balanced. A trade imbalance exists when
imports are greater than exports and the economy suffers as a country pays out
more than it earns.
Developing countries export raw materials at lower prices than it costs to buy
manufactured goods. If farmers in developing countries are paid low prices and
exploited in the production of cash crops, trade is said to be unfair. The less-
developed countries benefit from less than 1% of world trade, most being natural
resources.
The result of trade imbalances and unfair trade is that highly developed countries get
richer and developing countries remain poor.

Technology and industrialisation

Mass production of goods in factories using technology lead to widespread
urbanisation, improved infrastructure and increased income for many people.
Technology continues to develop across the world.
Well-developed/Developed countries are highly industrialised, and their
economies depend on advanced technology.
Developing countries are less industrialised and modern technology is not always
accessible.
It would be better for developing countries to develop and use technology to
manufacture goods themselves instead of exporting raw materials.
Industrialisation requires good infrastructure. Development can be affected by the
presence or absence of industrialisation and technology.

Health and welfare

The health and welfare of a country’s population are important indicators in
determining its level of development. An unhealthy, unhappy and poor population will
be less likely to implement successful development projects.
The factors that influence the health of a country’s population:
 Diet, nutrition, safe drinking water and sanitation
 Care of pregnant mothers and young babies
 Immunisations through vaccinations against dangerous diseases
 HIV/AIDS – 68% of all people in the world with HIV are from sub-Saharan
Africa, 59% are women
 Availability of medicines and number of clinics and hospitals with trained
nurses and doctors

Education, training and research

Education is seen as the most important factor affecting development. People need
to have skills and training to earn a living and contribute to a country’s economic
growth.
The importance of education in developing countries is highlighted by the fact that
these countries have a high percentage of young people. Colleges and universities
train people for specialised jobs that are needed for development. Research and
technological advancement are important for future development projects in fields
like agriculture.

Political stability and instability

If a country is at war or experiencing political instability, development is negatively
affected. Development requires a stable government with sufficient capital and long-
term plans. A country at war with another country or experiencing civil war, will not be
able to fund new infrastructure or pay for development projects. During political
instability, the economy suffers, which is bad for development. Trade comes to a halt,
which reduces income and creates unemployment and poverty.
Political stability in a country will allow development projects to succeed. If
government changes often, the direction of development can change. This results in
no long-term development benefits.

UNIT: 3 – Opportunities for Development

Governments of developing countries spend a lot of money on development projects
to improve the standard of living.
A development strategy is a plan to bring about development through various
development projects. A country adopts a development strategy to improve the
health of its population.

Creating more equitable trading relationships

Trade imbalance and unfair trade can prevent countries from developing. If trading
relationships between countries are more equitable, more opportunities for further
development are created.
How does fair trade benefit development in developing countries?
 Buying from farmers at cheaper fair prices protects small producers, increases
income, reduces poverty and develops local rural communities.
 Opening new markets create new trade opportunities.
 Ensuring workers have decent working and living conditions and aren’t exploited
or unfairly treated, allows gender equality and community development.
 Sharing profits with producers between communities.
 Using environmentally friendly farming methods is good for the environment and
helps sustainable development.
 Having open communication and negotiating deals that respects both parties
prevents developing countries from exploitation.
 Improving knowledge, training and skills of local producers increases their ability
to earn income.
 Fair trade has been successful with trading goods such as sugar and rice.
 Fair trade benefits over 6 million people in 60 countries.
 Fair trade makes developing countries stronger when trading and creates
opportunities for development.

Alternative development paths – alternatives to industrialisation

The development strategy adopted by most countries is to become industrialised
which means increasing secondary economic activities by building more factories
and industries. These development strategies use appropriate technology to improve
the quality of life of communities.
World Vision, a global aid organisation, suggests that communities ask seven critical
questions before adopting technology as part of a development project:
 Is it simple to make, use and repair?
 Does it need to be imported, or could a local product be used?
 Will it use resources wisely and respect the environment?
 How will it affect cultural and social traditions?
 Is the new product of better quality?
 Is it economical?
 Who will the technology help?
Appropriate technology is technology that is small-scale, affordable and simple. It
is controlled by local people, enabling them to be productive and earn money.
People must be able to use and repair the technology. It must fit in with the local
culture and not damage the environment and not use resources that could run out.

Sustainable development
Developing countries have been implementing development strategies for decades
but still lag in their HDIs. In most countries, development has benefitted people, but
the environment has suffered. If development is to benefit a country and its people, it
needs to be sustainable.
Sustainable development is development that:
 Benefits all people without overly consuming Earth’s resources.
 Improves the quality of human life using available resources.
 Works within Earth’s resource limit and focuses on quality of life and the
needs of people, especially poverty-stricken people.
 Meets the needs of the present without preventing future generations from
being able to meet their needs.
Sustainable development brings together three aspects of development:
 Economic factors (income): Does development benefit poor people?
 Social factors (people): Is development community-based?
 Environmental factors (natural environment): Does development conserve
resources?
Increasingly, businesses have an environmental sustainability development strategy
as part of their business plan.
Fairtrade Organisation
Launched: 1992
Purpose: focuses on fair trade where producers
and buyers are not exploited during a trade
transaction, encouraging sustainable and
environmentally friendly production, fair and
adequate working conditions and empowering the
development of the community.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Gross National Product (GNP) is an economic measure that represents the total
value of goods and services produced by a country's residents, regardless of where
they are located. It includes income earned by citizens from overseas investments
but excludes income earned by foreign residents within the country.
Gross National Income (GNI) is the total income earned by a country's residents and
businesses, including income from overseas sources. It is similar to Gross National
Product (GNP) but focuses on income rather than production.
The Brandt Line is an imaginary division that separates the world into the wealthier
"Global North" and the poorer "Global South". It was introduced in the 1980s by Willy
Brandt, a former German Chancellor, as part of the Brandt Report, which highlighted
global economic inequalities.
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) chemicals released from fridges, air conditioners, and
aerosols that destroy the ozone in the atmosphere.
Ozone layer is the layer of gases about 10km above Earth’s atmosphere that blocks
the sun’s radiation from entering Earth’s atmosphere.