Uneven Development (OCR GCSE Geography B)

Human & Physical Factors Affecting Development

• There is uneven development between countries around the world

• The wide differences in levels of development which exist today have not always existed

• 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

• It can be slowed, halted, and even reversed by:

  • War/conflict

  • Disease

  • Disasters 

  • Economic recession

Cycle of wealth

• One of the key indicators of development is the cycle of wealth

• Economic development creates wealth and if a country has a stable and effective government this leads to the development

• As the economy grows, more people work and are earning more money:

  • The government can then collect more taxes and people have more disposable income to spend which increases business profits

  • The taxes collected and profits made by companies can then be invested in future growth as well as infrastructure, education, healthcare etc...

Diagram of the cycle of wealth

Factors affecting development

• A range of factors both human and physical have led to the uneven development

Human and Physical Causes of Uneven Development

Education and health

• These are linked to the wealth of a country

• The more wealth a country has the more it can invest in education and healthcare

• The better-educated a population is the more this can help with the development of secondary and tertiary economic activities which boosts the economy

• A healthier population has a longer life expectancy, can work for longer, and this improves the economy

Colonialism

• In the past many countries across the world have been conquered and ruled by European countries

• This is referred to as colonialism

• As a result of colonialism, the European countries became wealthier by selling, or using, the natural resources of the countries they had conquered

• This slowed development in the colonies because the people in the countries were not ruling themselves and were unable to invest in their own development

• African people were also enslaved and transported to other colonies to work on sugar and cotton plantations. This further increased the wealth of the European countries

Politics

• In areas where there is political unrest or corruption this slows development

• War and conflict slow development as money is spent on weapons and the conflict rather than development

Aid 

• The type of aid and whether it can reach the people determines whether it increases development

• Aid can lead to debt which countries struggle to repay, this slows development

Climate

• Those areas without extremes of climate tend to be more developed

Geographic location

• Land-locked countries find it more difficult to trade goods as they do not have access to ports and goods must pass through other countries

• Flat, fertile land is better for growing crops and for building

Natural hazards

• Some countries are affected by many natural hazards. Rebuilding and dealing with the impacts of these hazards is expensive

• This reduces the amount of money that can be invested in development

Natural resources

• Some countries have more valuable or abundant natural resources which increases the country's income

Factors Keeping Countries in Poverty

• There are several factors which are responsible for keeping countries in poverty including:

  • Debt

  • Trade

  • Political unrest

Debt

• Most countries in the world borrow money

• This is known as debt

• The effect of debt on LIDCs is greater because they:

  • Borrow more

  • Have less money available to repay the debt

• Repaying debt means a country may have to reduce spending on infrastructure, education, and healthcare

• Usually, interest is charged on the debt, so countries end up owing far more than they borrowed

• These are all essential for development

Trade

• The exchange of goods between countries is known as trade

• Most trade in the world is between ACs 

• The majority of this trade is controlled by trans-national corporation (TNC) that are mostly owned by and based in ACs

• ACs mostly trade manufactured goods and services 

  • The price of goods and services usually goes up

• LIDCs mostly trade natural resources

  • The price of natural resources fluctuates which impacts on the income of the countries supplying them

Political unrest

• Political unrest is a situation where people are protesting against the government 

• Three main political factors which slow development are:

  • Unstable or undemocratic government

    • A country with an unstable or undemocratic government, usually fails to invest in healthcare, education, social care, infrastructure development or improving the economy

    • This usually leads to further instability and slows development

  • Corruption within the government

    • Where politicians within the government spend funds to their own benefit rather than improving the lives of their own citizens

    • Major development project contracts are given to family members or friends at highly increased costs, with minimal spending on materials 

  • Conflict

    • Civil war, terrorism and tribal disputes use valuable resources and distract governments from developing infrastructure etc. 

    • Any conflict and a country lose money as fewer people work, military equipment is expensive, buildings and land are destroyed 

    • Conflict also directly reduces the quality of life for the population through loss of life, loss of food, water, and housing