Definitions & Measurement of Development (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)
Revision Note
Written by: Jacque Cartwright
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Definitions of Development
Development can be defined as:
A process of change that raises standards of living and quality of life as the country improves
Development does not happen in a smooth, continuous process
A range of factors may slow, halt, and even reverse development, including:
War/conflict
Disease
Disasters
Economic recession
Development can occur through:
Investment in agriculture (tractors, fertilisers, etc.) improves food supplies, which in turn, improves the health of people
Improvements in supplies of power to rural areas
Improvements in access to education for females and overall literacy rates
Factors Which Contribute to Development
There are many factors, or strands, that contribute to the development of a country and include:
Physical: water supply, housing, power and heat, climate, diet and nutrition, etc
Social: family and friends and access to healthcare, education, housing, leisure and recreation
Psychological: happiness, security, freedom, etc.
Economic: income, job security, economic growth, types of industry, cost of living and employment rates
Cultural: democracy and work-life balance
Technological : internet access, mechanisation and electricity
Food and water security: physical and economic access to food and water.
These strands are not independent of each other but linked
For example, food and health are dependent on income, which in turn may impact happiness
Measures of Development
A country's level of development is measured using indicators:
Economic indicators (for example, Gross Domestic Product (GDP))
Social indicators (for example, life expectancy)
Political indicators (for example, the Corruption Perception Index)
Individual indicators are misleading when used alone, as some features develop before others
Which can indicate that a country is more developed than it really is
By using multiple indicators as a measure of development, a clearer picture of that country's development is produced
Measures of Development
Indicator | Measure |
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | GDP is the total value of goods and services produced by a country in a year, often divided by the population of that country to give GDP per capita (per person) |
Human Development Index (HDI) | This puts together a country’s Gross National Income (like GDP per capita), life expectancy, average length of schooling and expected years of schooling to produce an indicator of the country’s development level between 0 (least developed) and 1 (most developed) |
Measures of Inequality (Gini Index) | This is a measure of inequality, such as income, the spread of wealth, life expectancy, etc. It measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1, where the higher the number, the higher the inequality. |
Corruption Perception Index (CPI) | Political corruption can have a devastating impact on both development and human welfare This index grades the quality of governments from ‘highly corrupt’ to ‘very clean |
Worked Example
Identify the meaning of the term quality of life. (1)
A | A person's well-being in terms of environment, security and health |
B | A person's level of deprivation |
C | A person's level of income |
D | A person's type of job |
Answer:
A (1) - The other answers are objective and do not relate to the quality of life
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