Development

Studies
 Development
★ Development refers to a country's progress towards improving the
quality of life and independence of its population.
★ Development is a process of change that affects people's lives. It
may involve an improvement in the quality of life as perceived by the
people undergoing change. However, development is not always a
positive process.
 Development
● Development is not a smooth, continuous process
● Development can occur for several reasons
○ Investment in agriculture (tractors, fertilisers, etc.) improves food supplies, which
improves the health of people
○ Improvements in supplies of power to rural areas
○ Improvements in access to education for females and overall literacy rates
● Development can slow, halt and even reverse through:
○ war/conflict
○ disease
○ disasters
○ economic recession
❏ Development is any improvement in the standard of living of people in a
specific country. It includes factors related to money, such as wealth, which
we call economic factors and factors related to people, such as literacy, which
we call social factors.

❏ A developed country is one that is considered to have a high standard of

living, such as:
● good housing
● good education system
● longer life expectancy
A developing country is one that is considered to have a lower standard of
living, such as:

● lack of medical care

● limited access to education
● more people working in agriculture
● For example, the UK is considered a developed country and Ethiopia
is considered a developing country.
 Measuring development
● Development is measured using development indicators.
● Two sets of indicators are used to gather information of a country.
Both social and economic indicators can be used to determine if a
country is developed or developing, and to identify the main
similarities and differences between them.
Social indicators
A social indicator tends to focus on people. Social indicators measure
the access a population has to factors such as:
➢ education
➢ nutrition
➢ health
 Examples of social indicators

● Life expectancy - the average age to which a person lives, eg in 2021,

this was 81 in the UK and 61 in Kenya.(Source: United Nations Population
Division)
● Infant mortality rate - counts the number of babies, per 1000 live births,
who die under the age of one. In 2021, this was 4 in the UK and 28 in
Kenya. (Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation)
● Calories per person - the number of calories consumed per person per
day.
● Literacy rate - is the percentage of people aged over 15 years who can
read and write. This is 99 per cent in the UK, 83 per cent in Kenya and 76
per cent in India (Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Economic indicators
An economic indicator tends to focus on money and wealth. They are a
measure of a country's wealth and how it is generated. They give a very
accessible measure of the amount of wealth in the economy of one
country compared with another.
 Examples of economic indicators

● Gross National Product (GNP) measures the total amount a country

makes from selling all the goods and services it provides to other
countries around the world
● Gross National Income (GNI) per capita (Per capita means per person).
The value of a country's income, divided by the number of people in that
country.
● Percentage of population employed in agriculture measures what
percent of the total population works in the farming sector. This is higher
in developing countries as many people farm to grow their own food. In
more developed countries this percentage would be lower as farms are
run as businesses growing crops to make a profit.
Gross Domestic Product, Gross National Product, Gross
National Product
❏ The country's GDP (gross domestic product), GNI (gross national income), and
GNP (gross national product) are the traditional measures used to measure
wealth
❏ GDP per capita is the total of a country's annual output of goods and
services divided by its total population.

★ Depending on a nation's size and population, its GDP might vary greatly
★ More meaningful comparisons can be made between countries when
dividing it by the population.
● Wealth disparity is hidden as GDP is calculated as an average
● For instance, two countries can have the same average GDP;
however:
○ Country A has a lot of people living in poverty, with a small number
of very wealthy people.
○ Country B has a more even distribution of wealth.
○
● It is impossible to know what the GDP is used for; for
instance, the need to rebuild following an earthquake causes
the GDP to rise
○ This does not mean that everyone's quality of life has
increased or that the country is more developed.
GNP per capita
● GNP per capita (per person) allows a better comparison since different countries
have varying populations
○ For instance, the GNP of the UK is lower than that of India, but the GDP per
capita of the UK is higher than that of India (India has a higher population
compared to the UK)
○ However, GNP per capita does not take into account the cost-of-living in the
country - $1 will go further in Bangladesh than in the USA.
● To even this discrepancy, the GNP per capita at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
is calculated
● Comparison between countries' level of development is easy to see, but it fails
to identify:
❏ How wealth is distributed around a country - the wealth gap
❏ Government investment in the country.
❏ Despite Cuba's low GNP per capita, the government has historically placed a
strong priority on social investment, and the country enjoys higher literacy rates,
a lower infant mortality rate, and a comparable life expectancy to America.
● Levels of development vary on a local, national and international scale.
● There are variations within the same country, within the same city, and between
countries.
● These include:
○ literacy
○ life expectancy
○ infant mortality
○ doctors per 1000 people
○ energy consumption per capita
○ internet access
○ car ownership.
 Human Development Index (HDI)
● The UN created the Human Development Index (HDI) in 1990 as a way of measuring
differences between countries.
● The index takes into account four indicators of development:
○ Life expectancy at birth
○ average number of years of schooling and expected years of schooling.
○ Gross National Income (GNI) per capita
HDI

● Countries can be divided into four groups using HDI

○ Very High Human Development (VHHD)
○ High Human Development (HHD)
○ Medium Human Development (MHD)
○ Low Human Development (LHD)
● HDI is scored from 0 to 1
● The higher the HDI, the higher the level of development and quality of
life
○ Norway has the highest HDI at 0.957 (2024)
○ Niger has the lowest HDI at 0.394 (2024)
● The HDI and GNP cannot detect disparities across a country
● The wealth gap in some countries is more significant than in others
● The Gini coefficient index is used to analyse the distribution of wealth and
identify countries where wealth distribution is the most unequal
○ Measured on a scale of 0 to 1.0 or as a percentage
○ A low value means that the distribution of wealth is more equal; a
measurement of 0 would mean that wealth is distributed completely equally
○ A high value means the distribution of wealth is unequal; a measurement of
1 would indicate maximum inequality
○ The Gini coefficient index is usually between 0.24 and 0.63 or 24%-63%
● The highest inequality is currently in South Africa, Central Africa, Namibia,
Zambia and Suriname
● The lowest inequality is in the Czech Republic and Croatia
 EXPLAINING INEQUALITIES WITHIN COUNTRIES

Stages of development
● All countries move through the different stages of development
● The UN identifies four main stages of development
The development gap
The development gap is the difference in levels of development between the least
developed and most developed countries in the world

There are many factors which lead to the differences in development.

● Physical geography
○ Landlocked countries find trade more difficult and so often develop more slowly
○ Small countries develop more slowly due to have fewer human and natural resources
○ Those countries with extreme climates develop more slowly
○ The physical geography also impacts on the natural resources available
● Some countries are able to meet all their needs from the natural resources they have

● Many countries have to import some natural resources that are not available within their borders

● When countries have to import natural resources, this means they do not have security of supply
as imports could be affected by war or political issues

● Water, food and energy security are particularly important to support a country's development
Demography
● The population structure of a country
● The birth and death rates, as well as immigration, affect the available workforce
● Those countries where birth rates have fallen the most, show the highest rates of growth.

Technology
○ Can help to increase water, food and energy security
○ Mechanisation of farming increases yields and improved land surveying may reveal more energy sources
○ Technology can also mean that existing resources are used more efficiently

Social
○ Levels of education affect the skills people have. The more educated a population is the more a country will develop
○ Healthcare affects how well people are which affects their ability to work
○ Lack of equality can mean that the overall productivity of a country is affected
● Government policies
○ The stability and effectiveness of government can have a significant impact on
development and human welfare
○ Development and human welfare are greatest where there is a democratically
elected government
○ Corrupt governments do not invest in the country's development or in improving
the quality of life for the population
○ A government's economic policy affect development and human welfare through:
■ Open economy - where foreign investment is encouraged, which generates
faster development
■ Higher rates of saving and lower spending compared to GDP, results in
further development
 Industrial Sectors
Primary industry: extraction of raw materials / farming & fishing.

Secondary industry: manufacturing and construction.

Tertiary industry: service provision.

The tertiary sector is wide ranging and can differ between high and low
value jobs. Cleaners, waiters, retail workers tend to have low incomes.
Bankers, software developers, accountants earn high incomes.
Quaternary sector: this sector is based around high-tech research and
development and is associated with pharmaceutical and technology firms.
Can you split the following jobs into the correct industry
sector?
Miner Carpenter (joiner- furniture maker) Mechanic

ICT consultant Fisherman Scientific researcher

Factory worker Ship builder Hairdresser

Shop worker Teacher Farmer

Builder Oil rigger Carpenter (repairs)

Chef Mechanic Medical researcher

Premiership footballer
Check your answers below
Employment Structures & Development
Why are employment structures different in MEDCs, LEDCs and NICs?
 Triangular graphs to show employment structures

This type of graph allows you to see the % of primary, secondary and tertiary employment in one country
by looking at the placement of a dot on the graph (A and B on the graph above).
 READING TRIANGULAR GRAPHS
You read them by looking at the three different sides. Start with the Primary Side and move
down to where it says 0 (the baseline). Use the arrow to help you establish which lines to look
at and which way to move. In this case it is the horizontal lines moving up the triangle (see Fig
2a)

Move up to the line that A is resting on. It shows that country A has 70% employed in
Primary employment
Do the same with Secondary and Tertiary sides of the triangle. Look at the correct side. Move to look where
the 0 baseline is, then look at the arrow to see which way to move (Fig 2b and Fig 2c).

Move to the line that A is resting on. It shows that country A has…

20 % in Secondary 10% in Tertiary

Can you do the same for country B?

B has 10 % Primary 75% Secondary 15 % Tertiary

 PLOTTING TRIANGULAR GRAPHS
To plot points on a triangular graph you need to use a ruler. Here is an example of how
you would do this for place A on the table below

1) Find the 0 baseline for the primary sector and lie your ruler across it

2) Move your ruler up at the same angle as the 0 line to where 5 % would be and draw a
line across

3) Find the 0 baseline for the secondary sector and lie your ruler across it

4) Move your ruler up to where 65 % would be and draw a line across

5) Find the 0 baseline for the tertiary sector and lie your ruler across it

6) Move your ruler up to where 30 % would be and draw a line across

7) Where you three lines cross this is where point A should be placed
 GLOBALISATION
Read and write notes on Globalisation and the factors which have
increased globalisation from your textbook. Pages 222 - 223.
 Impacts of globalisation
Globalisation has had both positive and Employment and resources.

negative impacts. Remember: not all the ● Job opportunities have led to economic
growth in LICs and NEEs.
impacts listed here are equal. Some may
● Deindustrialisation in HICs has led to job
be more serious than others.
losses.
● There is improved access to resources as
countries trade with one another.
● Some resources have been overexploited,
which means they may run out
 Relationships and trade
● Countries rely on one another and are
more likely to work together.
● Manufacturing and transportation
processes can lead to higher levels of
pollution.
● Ideas and skills are shared between
countries. This can lead to greater
progress.
● Unequal flows of people or capital can
lead to some countries having less
power. In some cases, TNCs are more
powerful than the countries they
operate in.
 Impacts of globalisation
Global scale
● Increasing number of NICs National scale
● Loss of sovereignty; power of national governments
● Growing power of TNCs and global brands lost to TNCs & global civil society
● Development of a hierarchy of global cities ● Increased cultural diversity from international
migration
(financial & decision-making centres) ● High levels of incoming & outgoing international
● International movement of workers tourism
● Global movement of commodities ● TNCs employ large % of workforce
● Loss of jobs due to closure of businesses (TNCs can
● Increasing uniformity of landscapes close operations in a country and open up in another
● Cultural diffusion (spreading of cultural traits very quickly)
● TNCs avoid paying tax in some countries through
from one place to another) ‘creative accounting’
● Development of mass tourism ● Increasing consumption of resources & competition
for resources
● Development of global civil society ● Increasing trans-boundary pollution (major pollution
(environmental groups, protest movements, incident in one country may have consequences in
charities, trade unions, etc) neighbouring country)
● Growth of anti-globalisation movements
● Environmental degradation
Local scale
● Small local business unable to compete
with major global companies
● Loss of jobs/ unemployment for locals
● Local communities have become more
multicultural / culturally diverse
● Greater variety of international cuisine
● Families likely to be spread over different
countries due to international migration
● Lower cost of international travel
● Development of ‘ethnic villages’ in large
urban areas