Development Issues 1

1.      What is Development?

Development is a process in which social, economic and environmental inputs are used to improve the quality of people’s lives.

     -it is more than just making people richer or giving them jobs,

    - it is a process of change, making things better, improving things inn people’s lives to help 

      them have a better standard of living,

      -improving conditions in a country or community to improve its economy and society.

     - development includes money and wealth, issues that affect people’s lives such as housing

      and health, and the impact of people on the environment.

·         Development means improving society without harming   others or damaging the environment.

 2.      Three important qualities of development.

i)                   -involves change

ii)                 –it is a process that happens over time

iii)               –it is about progress or improvement that affect people’s lives.

 

3.      Aspects of development.

a)      Economic development

-          refers to the sustained effort of government and the community to improve the standard of living and economic health of an area, this will ensure creation of wealth and improved living conditions.

b)     Social development

-          refers to improvements in education, health care, sanitation, nutrition and housing.

c)      Environmental development

-          refers to the improvement of our surroundings, such as reduction in air and water pollution.

4.      Ways of measuring development

-          the use of different types of indicators to compare the levels of development of different countries:

a)      Economic Indicators

-          Gross Domestic Product (GDP); the total value of goods and services produced in a country during one year.

-          Gross Domestic Product per Capita (per person); it is when GDP is divided by the number of people in the country. A higher per capita GDP indicates a more developed country. A developed country like Norway has a per capita GDP of US$54 000, while in a less developed country like Mozambique, the per capita GDP is US$1000. (see illustration in the table below and the formula to calculate GDP per capita)

 Table 1

Country

GDP in billions USD

GDP per capita USD

Angola

85

4 450

China

6 000

4 430

Germany

3 300

40 000

Greenland

1

25 000

Namibia

12

5 300

New Zealand

126

30 000

Nigeria

217

1 300

South Africa

360

7 200

Sri Lanka

50

2 300

USA

15 000

47 000

 

We can compare the GDP of different countries better if we compare the GDP with the total number of people who live in a country. This indicator is GDP per capita. The sum that follows shows how to calculate SA’s GDP per capita for 2011.

GDP =US$360 000 000 000                                           Population = 50 000 000

Therefore, GDP per capita = US$360 000 000 000 ÷ 50 000 000 = US$7 200

The structure of a country’s economy

-          A country’s economic structure indicates a country’s development, meaning that a country with a large percentage of its population involved in agriculture is not developed. The USA, which produces an enormous amount of food, has only one percent of its population engaged in agriculture, while in less-developed Bangladesh, 54% of its population is involved in subsistence farming hence less income.

b)      Social Indicators

-factors that reflect the quality of life in a country,  

- they indicate welfare,

- they examine key social areas of life.

Social indicators include:

i)                   Literacy and education levels (eg percentage of children who attend secondary education)

ii)                 Population figures, such as birth rate, infant mortality rate, and Life expectancy.

iii)               Employment rate

iv)               The level of service provision, such as sanitation, health care, drinkable water and electricity, the number of doctors for every 1000 people.

c)      Environmental Indicators

-          Measure the impact humans and their activities have on the environment:

i)                   Levels of air and water pollution

ii)                 The rate at which natural resources are being used up

iii)               The variety of plants and animals that naturally exist in an area.

NB:  Countries need to consider how economic development and social benefits have an effect on the environment, this is so that they can plan for development to carry on into the future (ie sustainable development)

 

 

Lesson Questions